To Catch A Raven
by Lynx Klaw
Summary: How do you catch a Raven? Well, if you don't know, then Jinx does. It helps if you have a plan. Let's see how Jinx did it... Jinx/Raven.
1. 01: Steps 1 through 5

1

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." -Oscar Wilde

**To Catch a Raven**

By Lynx Klaw

_Chapter 1: Steps 1 through 5_

**_Step 1: Make a Clever Trap_**

_July 10_

_ I think it's official. I've finally cracked. It didn't happen immediately or anything... after all, I've devoted _pages_ to it all. Still, I can't pin down when or how the idea came to me. All I know is that it's been on my mind for a while as one of those crazy ideas you never think about seriously._

_ I guess that's the problem. I actually started considering it seriously. It kept bugging me in the background, coming up again and again whenever I had a moment of boredom or my thoughts strayed to her. Then my brain would just take off and start scenarios and little plots. Before I knew it, I had a _plan_._

_ Even so, it was a ludicrous plan. Dangerous, even... yet it persisted. For one reason or another, I've always been able to rationalize it away as a stupid idea: It would put Mikron or Baran in danger; the timing wasn't right; conditions made the plan unfeasible. Things like that..._

_ However, I've found myself going solo for almost a year. We still keep in contact, but no major jobs required the three of us to team up... so they're in no danger. It's summer and I've been keeping my head down, lately. Shit, all of us have... so the timing couldn't be more ideal. Worse yet, I've found the _perfect_ conditions and site for my plan._

_ I don't know what Mike or Baran will say. They'll probably tell me I'm crazy. All this just to get a few minutes to talk to her? Yeah, totally nuts. If I'm going to do this, though, I'll need their help for the set-up. Look at me; I'm actually going on about particulars, now._

_ I might as well stop here and call Mike. He just might be able to pull this off after he's done reading me the riot act..._

* * *

Jinx closed her diary and picked up her communicator. She flicked it open and dialed Gizmo. As the sorceress waited for him to pick up, she once again asked herself what she was thinking. Unfortunately, the pink-haired villainess had no answer to go with her ponderings.

"Yeah, whaddaya want?"

Jinx looked back to the communicator, grinning, "Nice to see you, too, Mike."

"Kammie! I haven't heard shit from ya in fuckin' months. What the Hell've ya been up to?" the bald boy inquired with as much profanity as possible.

"Nothing, really. I did a little job a couple months ago to make ends meet, but... but I have a new idea. I might need your help... and Baran's."

A wide grin tore across his face, "Somethin' big?"

"Oh, yeah," she said somewhat reluctantly, "_really_ big. Can we meet up? I want to discuss this in person..."

"Sure," said the genius, "Lemme get the big guy on the line..."

* * *

**Three Weeks Later**

Jinx set down her backpack full of a few meager possessions behind the large block atop the roof housing the stairwell to the lower floor. It was out of sight from the side of the building with the fire escape, which was perfect. With the contents, one might think she was having a sleepover. She had a few changes of clothes, toiletries, her favorite perfume--jasmine, her locked diary, her collapsible meditation table, incense, and a pink lighter with a cartoon bunny on it with the caption: 'I did it, but I'm blaming you.'

The sorceress smoothed her hands over her clothes, ridding it of imaginary wrinkles. The villainess had gone with a different, more flattering wardrobe, which consisted of a black, split-panel dress, a purple sash, and some purple stockings. Her platform boots were ever-present. She had abandoned her regular bands that held up her pink hair in horns. In their place, Jinx had wound purple ribbons around them. The ribbons hung at the curve of her hair-horns down just past her ears.

"You're sure you wanna do this?" asked Mammoth.

"Yeah, she's probably gonna clean yer clock an' haul ya off."

The young woman nodded at this. She had anticipated that outcome, but not having any sort of answer to settle her mind was driving her insane. At least this way, no matter the outcome, she had an answer and could put the issue to rest. Yes, the majority of sense said that this would hurt her--physically and emotionally. However, she would recover. If she didn't do it, the what-ifs would consume her.

"I know... but I have to _try_. I know you care, too... and I appreciate all your help. If things go bad, don't worry. I'll get over it. It might take me a while, but I will."

"...Are you fuckin' sure ya don't want us to hang with ya 'til the Titans show?"

"I'll be fine. Besides, I don't want you to have to fight 'em just for me."

Gizmo looked ready to argue, but his watch preempted him with a beep.

"Time to go," she said.

They made their way down the fire escape and onto the street. Then they went into the building upon which they'd previously been standing.

* * *

Sam stood behind the display case at _Karasu's_, a jewelry shop in downtown Jump. The woman watched as the other employees helped the two couples in the store. She sighed slightly in boredom. The young sales rep liked working here--liked helping people find the right thing--but between customers, things were slow and monotonous.

Sam was 28; she was average in every aspect with short, brown hair and green eyes. This was her first and only job so far. It was one she could come to every day and leave satisfied. Her bosses were nice, the employees not overly officious, and she was surrounded with beautiful baubles all day. If she brought a book, then her little world was perfect. Today, she'd forgotten her current novel.

At her sigh, their security guard, Hank O'Malley, glanced up from behind his Sudoku puzzle book and smiled at her. He was like a second father, and had been here practically since the place opened with the elderly Japanese couple. He knew she was a restless soul and would usually hold conversations with her when there were no customers.

The quiet, boring scene shattered abruptly when three kids walked in. The smallest one, who looked like a toddler, began spouting orders.

"Mammoth, get the guard. Jinx, check the alarms. I need five minutes!"

Mammoth lumbered over to the guard, who already surmised that he could do little against the young man that towered over him by almost a yard. The orange-haired giant put a hand on the man's shoulder to keep him seated, then took the rope over his shoulder and began tying the man to the chair.

By the doorway, Gizmo began fiddling the doorjamb. He was attaching some kind of sensors. When he was done, he handed Mammoth some small, quarter-sized orbs with sticky platforms and told him to stick them on the corners of the ceiling. They looked like tiny disco balls...

For her part, Jinx headed straight for Sam and jumped the counter, startling the sales rep.

"Hey, you got a Metahuman alarm?"

Most places did, these days, considering the wealth of them that seemed to crop up in the city. Most businesses had sprung for the systems that would immediately send a notification to JCPD and the Teen Titans: the elected vigilantes that typically dealt with the super-powered nuts that saturated the area.

Sam backed up against the jeweler's counter behind her, staring in fright at the pink, feline eyes. At the question, she jumped slightly. The sales rep nodded jerkily, but remained otherwise flat against the far counter.

Jinx waited patiently, but no answer was forthcoming, "Well, where is it?"

Sam pointed to the display case behind her.

Jinx bent over and looked under the counter. There was a yellow button next to a blue button. Further inspection showed the blue one had a 'P' engraved on it while the yellow one had an 'M' on it. She nodded satisfactorily and straightened.

"Got it!" she called out, noting that Mammoth had put up all but one of the projectors for Gizmo.

Once Mammoth finished sticking the last of the adhesive projector devices on the ceiling, both he and Gizmo moved for the door. Gizmo paused in the doorway and the two Metahumans looked at their final partner.

"Kammie... you're fuckin' _positive_ you don't want us to stick-"

"Yes, yes. Go on," she said with a shooing motion.

Mammoth lingered a bit longer and gave her a parting "Good luck" before he stooped to exit _Karasu's_. The two gone, Jinx held company with her temporary captives. The pink-haired sorceress sighed, took the communicator off her sash, and pressed a button.

Sam watched this slickly operated job go down. Then she watched the two leave without actually _taking_ anything. The frightened woman was slowly becoming suspicious as the pink-haired girl stood by the counter. Two minutes passed before the communicator the villainess held beeped. Jinx pressed the alarm button and hopped over the counter.

Seconds later, a light in the middle of the floor flashed and images of Mammoth and Gizmo flickered into view, slowly becoming solid apparitions. Jinx admired the images for several seconds, poking one and receiving a small rainbow-refraction off her finger. Then the HIVE Five member turned around to face the customers huddled at the far end of the shop.

"Okay! This is how it's gonna go! Stay still, quiet, an' sit tight. In no time, this'll be a fun story to tell your kids," she said with a wide grin. Jinx paused and looked at the older, upper-class couple and amended, "...or grandkids."

* * *

**_Step 2: Use an Elaborate Lure_**

Nine minutes passed. The pink-haired girl paced in front of the far display inside _Karasu's_. She paused and smoothed her hands over her dress for the umpteenth time. Jinx resumed pacing. After eight or ten passes, the sorceress paused again. She picked up the mirror set for customers and used it to check her hair. It was perfect, the same as the last three times she'd checked it. The woman behind the counter tracked her the entire time with her eyes, making her even more nervous.

* * *

Sam had watched her sisters--younger twins--fret in almost the same manner, once. That was during their senior year for their prom. The sales rep tried to assemble the puzzle pieces presented to her. The teen, who appeared to be somewhere around 18, was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Nothing had been stolen, no threats made--quite the opposite, and the strange villainess had even punched the alarm herself!

There was ulterior motive here.

The sorceress stopped her pacing yet again. It was beginning to annoy Sam and she took a chance. Sure, her theory was out there on a limb, but this whole business stank of something more intricate.

"If you keep messing with your dress, you'll _give_ it wrinkles instead of smoothing them out..."

Jinx gave a small, startled hop. She stared at the sales rep, her vertical pupils wide like Sam's cat, Puck, when he was playful. The pink-haired girl moved over to the counter and picked up the mirror. Sam plucked it away from her questing fingers.

"...and your hair is fine."

Jinx looked fit to explode, but calmed down just before she hit critical mass. The HIVE Five member took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She could stay calm for a bit longer... just a bit.

"Does it _usually_ take them this long to get here?" she whined.

The hex-caster was aware that she shouldn't be making conversation, but all the waiting was driving her to the limit. Jinx wasn't often given to silence. That the jeweler's shop had become like a morgue began to eat at the girl's composure. What the Hell were the Titans _doing_?

"I coulda cleaned this place out and been halfway down 7th Avenue by now!"

Sam began gently, "Whatever--_who_ever--you want, I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"But what if they had to leave? What if they're busy? They could be in Brazil stopping Dr. Light from getting a tan or Killer Moth coulda trapped them all in giant cocoons or... or something!"

"Um," Sam said unsurely.

The H.I.V.E. graduate seemed to catch on to a fact and narrowed her eyes at Sam, "Hey, why're you all talkative? Aren't hostages s'pposed to be... y'know... scared 'n' quiet?"

"Am I a hostage?"

Before she could answer, a motorcycle squealed to a halt outside, followed seconds later by a blue and white car. Jinx's head jerked up. She grinned suddenly and whipped around, placing herself to the left of the two, illusory HIVE Five members. Flexing and wiggling her fingers in anticipation, her right hand blossomed with a slight coral luminosity.

The Titans rushed in and made their heroic entrance. Jinx thought it was grand--if a little hokey. Raven didn't really rush in, more like... _floated quickly_. The moment the door burst open, the sensors tripped.

'Gizmo' cried out, "It's the fuckin' Titans! Scatter!"

Jinx sent the small hex shrieking for Raven. It was timed so perfectly that it slammed into her hood and blew it back, revealing the mystic Titan's scowling visage. Following this, the sorceress high-tailed it to the back of the shop, hopped the counter, and left via the fire exit. The demi-Demon whisked through the air after her.

* * *

Cyborg charged into _Karasu's_ just behind Robin, his cybernetic eye automatically scanning for the threats. What he found were two holograms and a biologic--Jinx. He was about to warn Raven of that fact, but she was already flitting out after the other girl. Damn!

The other Titans would figure it out soon enough, but he didn't know what kind of trap had been set for Raven. He charged after the girl, but was cautious on the way out the fire exit. He didn't want to give himself away if the HIVE Five really did have a trap set. When his sensors indicated no one in the alley, he did a quick thermal scan. Residual heat was on the ladder to his left. Jinx must have gone up the fire escape; Raven probably flew to...

* * *

The roof was more or less bare, save the gravel and the doorway to the stairwell. Jinx hid behind the large stairwell block where she stashed her backpack just before Raven materialized from a black portal on the ground. It bulged out, creating a pitch bird of prey with four, red eyes composed entirely of mystical energy, which then melted away to reveal the violet-haired girl. The Titan came to hover roughly in the center of the roof.

"Give it up, Jinx."

"Uh, could we talk this out?" Jinx said, peeking around the corner.

She whipped her head back as a black tentacle of magic lashed through the area her head had occupied.

"Hey! You're s'pposed to negotiate, first! What if I wanted to surrender?"

Raven's brow rose. She glared at the block, waiting for Jinx to tumble from it with a hex in her direction. The demi-Demon had always hated in-fight banter. It took away from her concentration. Somehow, however, Jinx always managed to connive her way into a conversation.

'_Annoying, frivolous girl..._' she mentally muttered.

The pink head of hair stuck out again, pink horns and eyes contrasting against the grey cement of the roof, "Ya gonna blast me if I step out?"

"Most likely," Raven responded.

"Not much incentive for me to step out," Jinx muttered.

This wasn't how the hex-caster had planned it. Then again, Raven had always been an anomaly among the other teen heroes. Maybe that was why the Titan was fascinating. Jinx couldn't really say. Never the less, she'd gone this far... might as well go for the win.

"'Most likely?' So... there's a chance you won't?" The pink-haired girl stepped out slowly, "What if I really wanted to deal?"

Raven growled, "I don't make deals with thieves."

"Heh... uh... about that... I didn't really steal anyth-"

The rest of her sentence was yanked away as she found herself encompassed in black energy and hauled mere feet from Raven. The mystic Titan glared at her icily and scrutinized her.

"Give back what you stole."

"...Um, I can't. I really didn't take anything," Jinx said, her dilated, vertical pupils dominating the small, pink rings surrounding them.

The violet-haired teen passively scanned the surface thoughts and emotions of the girl. There was no lie in Jinx's words--and an underlying desire to keep things as calm and non-violent as possible. The demi-Demon frowned in consternation. She had the other girl, now... she should just haul her down to street level, where there was likely a Metahuman Task Force containment van waiting.

"Why deal with you when I could just take you in..."

Jinx grinned, her pupils slowly contracting to slits, "'cause then you'll never know what I was offering."

Raven paused. ... _Damn_ her curiosity! She slowly let the other girl's feet touch the ground. Free of the black magic, she took in the dress Jinx wore and the ribbons in her hair. The villainess was actually very striking, but that was neither here or there. The dress wasn't exactly made for fighting or running in--for all the hex-caster moved like the wind in it...

Jinx glanced around. The other Titans might be joining them any moment.

"Um, can-... Can we talk about this somewhere else? Y'know... away-"

Raven interjected, "-from the scene of the crime?"

"Er... yeah," the sorceress finished lamely.

With a roll of her eyes, the Titan seized Jinx in her magic again, and flew them two rooftops over. The villainess squeaked when picked up. Raven was willing to go no further than this short distance from _Karasu's_ to entertain this madness. Already she was beginning to doubt the wisdom of her choice.

* * *

From the fire escape, Cyborg quietly listened. Something was _totally_ fishy about this. He moved up to the rooftop, moving over to the stairwell block. The mostly-metallic man noticed the small, purple-and-black backpack sitting beside it, but decided to leave it alone. Instead, he turned his cybernetic 'ear' toward the two girls and activated his waveform enhancer via his wrist computer.

* * *

**_Step 3: Make Sure It Takes the Bait_**

Raven set them down and crossed her arms as Jinx flailed to gain her balance after her moment of weightlessness. The pink-haired sorceress seemed to be back to her regular self away from the scene: silly and zany. This was exactly why the Titan was on guard; something just wasn't right about the situation. When the villainess continued to fiddle with her sash and re-straighten her dress, Raven lost her patience.

"What was your deal?" she more flatly demanded than asked.

"Well... um, I'd go with you peacefully an' give up-"

The demi-Demon glared, "I could have done _that_ before. I can _still_ do that..."

"-but in return," the hex-caster continued, "I... uh..."

The mystic Titan waited, but the crazy girl had gone quiet. There was a slight blush to her features, but Raven wasn't in the mood to humor Jinx. Robin would be wondering where she was or would want an update or... whatever it was an obsessively anal leader did when she wasn't there.

"Spit it out."

"Iwannakissyou."

It came rushing out far less delicately than she had intended. Jinx was supposed to be in control of this conversation! Instead, the violet-haired heroine was pushing her down the path of her plan faster than she'd intended to go. The HIVE Five member felt like facepalming herself for just blurting it like that. It was out of her mouth now, though, and she couldn't do anything about it.

* * *

Back on _Karasu's_ rooftop, Cyborg blinked stupidly, '_Wait a sec... what?_'

He rechecked the audio and sure enough, he had heard what he thought he did.

* * *

"...What?" Raven asked with genuine bafflement.

Acting with more bravery than she felt, she barreled onward. Maybe with the other girl put off-guard like that, she could steer this back in the direction she wanted.

"I want to kiss you," Jinx reaffirmed, "Then I'll give up and go back with you. No fuss, no muss."

Then again, maybe not. The Titan just stood there staring at her, those piercing, violet eyes drilling into her like twin augers. It began eating away at her composure and the sorceress decided that it might be good to cut her losses. Jinx shifted her weight restlessly. She couldn't do this!

* * *

Raven let the emotions washing off the other girl pervade her. Still no deception. A truckload of jittery nerves, but no lies. Right now, she could probably refuse, have it out with the girl, and meet Robin and the MTF once she subjugated the HIVE Five member. It was sure to drag out frustratingly and work up her nerves by the end...

On the other hand, she could go ahead and let Jinx kiss her--and then take her in as she intended. Just be done with it and get the girl into custody. It would be better than chasing the pink-haired sorceress all over creation and fighting. The more the demi-Demon thought about it, the less crazy the idea sounded. She had never taken the time to examine her... _proclivities_, but kissing the other girl didn't seem like a problem.

"...You're serious."

* * *

Jinx panicked, '_Shit, I _definitely_ can't do this. It's _Raven_! What the Hell was I _thinking_? What do I _do_? She probably thinks I'm some kinda freak. Well, _more_ of a freak... Damn, damn, double damn, triple damn, Hell..._'

"Er! ...J-just... Never mind. I-"

"Fine."

* * *

Cyborg rewound the audio yet again, '_What a sec..._ what_?_'

* * *

**_Step 4: Spring the Trap_**

"_Huh_?" she asked intelligently.

"I said you can kiss me."

'_No way, no way, no_ way_! It worked! I think. Calm down, Jinx, don't get your hopes up. Just take it easy. This is your chance!_'

"... ...O-okay," the villainess said, moving closer to the violet-haired heroine.

Her palms were suddenly sweaty her hands shook. Jinx felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest! Could Raven hear it? She didn't think she would ever be this nervous over kissing anyone. This wasn't just anyone, though; it was _Raven_! She tried to take a deep breath to steady her nerves... _without_ looking like she was taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Her voice came out smaller, shier than she thought she could sound, "Uh... Close, um... close your eyes."

* * *

The Titan sighed, but closed her eyes. She could humor the girl. While still mentally monitoring her surroundings, she was intensely aware of the butterflies in Jinx's stomach. The beat of their wings rushed over her in a nigh-constant zephyr. Was a kiss really _that_ important to the girl?

That was when she felt it. The pink-haired hex-caster leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. A tiny, electrical _zing_ flitted from her lips straight to her brain, and then dropped down her spine in a tingle. Raven _liked_ that _zing_... and, in her opinion, it was over far too quickly. The demi-Demon's eyes snapped open to find Jinx leaning back. Then the sorceress quickly backed up a step, as though the mystic Titan would detonate.

That was rather... anti-climatic.

"..._Excuse_ me. What the Hell was _that_?"

Jinx's mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

"This is my first kiss. I thought those were supposed to be special... or _something_. If you're going to take my first kiss, you might as well put some _effort_ into it."

"Um," the girl squeaked.

"That's not how they do it in the movies," Raven said, closing the distance between herself and the stunned, pink-haired villainess, "It's like this..."

She put her hand on the back of Jinx's neck, tilting her head slightly and moving in. Their lips met and she persisted, slowly working her mouth against the other. That _zing_ was back and was there to stay, this time. The heroine didn't rush it, feeling that she'd know when the time was right. Raven's other hand went to rest against the small of Jinx's back.

This was how they always kissed in the old, black-and-white classics she watched. Honestly, they didn't do it a lick of justice! The Theory of Relativity was in full motion and after those first few moments, she found hidden hours within the following seconds. Finally, after an undetermined amount of time, she pulled away.

Jinx's mouth remained open, her eyes shut, "... ... Wow..."

Raven agreed! Not that she was any expert on it, obviously, but that was definitely 'wow' material. Robin be damned--he could wait a few minutes! This demanded her full attention. It wasn't often that the demi-Demon gave in to her emotions on any scale, so she was prone to savoring them when the moment came along.

"Th-that was just an example," the mystic Titan said, "_You're_ supposed to kiss _me_, not the other way around. S-... so now you try it..."

* * *

'_Raven... kissed... I was just..._' her thoughts spun hazily before the words penetrated, '_Kiss her! She wants me to kiss her back!_'

From her sides, Jinx finally gathered enough wits to raise her arms and wrap them around the other girl, under the cloak. The leotard was skin-tight and she could feel the smooth but well-toned back. The sorceress closed her eyes again and returned the favor.

This time, when their mouths parted slightly, she chanced a cautious probe into Raven's mouth. The moment the muscles made contact, the demi-Demon made a low sound somewhere between a purr and a hum. Around them, the gravel on the roof slowly began to float upward, hovering at about shoulder height as the heroine's emotions infused them with her dark power.

By some understood, mutual consent, they parted. The pink-haired girl rested forehead-to-forehead with the violet-haired girl, feeling the warmth of the smooth, ajna chakra gem residing there. Jinx smiled stupidly for several seconds, utterly thrilled and contentedly tranquil at once.

"... ... Wow..." said Raven quietly.

About them, the tiny pebbles fell like rain back to the rooftop.

The villainess remained where she was, unwilling to disengage from the Titan just yet. She was kind of getting into this whole kissing-Raven thing. _Really_ getting into it. She wondered just how far she could push her luck...

"I... I still think I could do better, y'know... ... Best out of three?"

Raven gave her a small smile back and they pulled in once more.

* * *

Atop _Karasu's_, Cyborg continued staring. He might have lost his jaw somewhere on the ground, but he wouldn't have noticed. Various sensors were probably close to short-circuiting, and yet he couldn't seem to care.

* * *

In no time flat, Jinx found herself carried away. She'd forgotten that the other Titans were on the job nearby and, for the most part, that the rest of the world even existed. So swept up in the tidal wave moment between herself and the heroine, the pink-haired villainess found herself seeking a more intense connection with the violet-haired Titan. Several minutes passed before she did anything more than snog the Hell out of the demi-Demon.

Eventually, the hex-caster moved to kiss along Raven's jaw, up to her ear and nuzzling it. Then it was a slow, _zing_ing descent down the neck. It earned Jinx another purr from the girl. When she came to the neckline of the leotard, Raven moaned. It merely fanned the flames. Why hadn't she tried this before? It _certainly_ trumped fighting!

* * *

The moment she moaned, she knew things were going too far. She opened her eyes and saw the various pebbles floating about the air, practically humming with dark energy and bouncing off one another as the freely hovered about. She tried to gather her wits before the pink-haired girl could find another way to distract her.

"Ji-... We should... we should really, uh, head back now, Jinx... um," the Titan said shakily, but she put her hands on the HIVE Five member's shoulders.

"...Hnn," the girl complained, but pulled away--albeit reluctantly.

* * *

Cyborg wasn't sure how he felt about what he'd just witnessed, but he felt it best to let the two sort things out between themselves. Of course, this wasn't because he was afraid of Raven's wrath for watching her make out with anyone--let alone Jinx. Nope, not scared one bit.

The mostly-metallic man went back down the fire escape and out onto the sidewalk, where Robin was talking with the MTF. Once the Boy Wonder caught sight of him, he was immediately beckoned over.

"Those were holograms, but I guess you already knew that--Jinx was the only one there. The witnesses say that Gizmo and Mammoth left her there. She was waiting for us. It _has_ to be a trap!

"Where's Raven? Did you see where she went after she followed Jinx? I want to regroup before we start looking for her."

The cybernetic teen put his hand behind his head and rubbed his neck, "Raven? No, I haven't seen Raven. Raven's probably after Jinx and doing... Raven-y things... We know she can handle herself; maybe we should call her up before assuming the worst! After all, it's Raven! Heh... heh heh..."

The Titans leader narrowed his eyes at Cyborg, but flipped open his communicator...

* * *

#_Raven, status,_#

"I suppose it was inevitable," Raven mumbled, slowly extricating herself from Jinx and reaching for her communicator, "This is Raven. Situation normal..."

Jinx muttered, "_SNAFU_."

Raven glared at her half-heartedly; the acronym wasn't appropriate... yet. Nevertheless, she continued.

"I've... negotiated with Jinx," she ignored the pink-haired girl's sudden snicker, "She's surrendering and cooperating."

#_Be careful, Raven. Gizmo and Mammoth were only holograms. It could be a trap--we don't know where the real Gizmo and Mammoth are; they could be hiding nearby._#

"I've already felt out her intentions and emotions--she's telling the truth. We're heading back now."

"You can _do_ that?" squeaked the hex-caster, her pale face going bright red.

The demi-Demon shrugged and answered blandly, "When I need to."

Raven moved behind Jinx and put her hands around the other girl's waist. After telling Jinx to hold on and she was sure the villainess had a secure grip, she levitated them back to _Karasu's_. There, the pink-haired hex-caster snagged her backpack and the two proceeded down the stairwell.

The mystic Titan tried to make it appear as though she was keeping the HIVE Five member in custody, but it was negated by Jinx's silly grin and the way their fingers interlocked in a 'holding hands' fashion rather than an 'I've apprehended the criminal' method. She pulled the other girl around the display cases and out of the jewelry shop, where the other Titans and the MTF waited.

* * *

Sam finished answering questions some five minutes ago. Most of it involved telling the various authorities the same thing repeatedly. Yes, the HIVE Five showed up. No, they didn't take anything. Yes, Jinx hit the alarm herself. Yes, the other two left--no, she didn't know where they went.

Finally, after almost ten minutes of watching this exact same procedure occur with everyone else, someone came in the back. It was Jinx and Raven... and, if the stupid smile and the way the pink-haired girl held the violet-haired girl's hand were any indication, things were looking up.

Sam couldn't help but grin. She had no idea what game the HIVE Five member was playing, but she was apparently winning. The sales rep moved to the doorway to watch as the hex-caster blithely handed herself over to the MTF guards and allowed herself to be handcuffed. That was when she saw a flicker of bright fuchsia in Jinx's eyes.

The pink-haired girl leapt, her hands using one of the MTF guard's helmets as a springboard, and vaulting backward. Gasps came from all around and tension suddenly skyrocketed. The villainess landed neatly before Raven, who was only a few yards from _Karasu's_ entrance.

Jinx brought her cuffed hands down behind the mystic Titan and pulled her in for a kiss. Sam's--as well as just about everyone else's--jaw dropped. The streetlight above them shattered and the pole curled like a rolled-up blowout. Sam gave a squeak of surprise.

The hex-caster pulled away and skipped to the MTF containment van. Finally, the demi-Demon regained her wits and crossed her arms. The tried to glare petulantly, but the lobster-red glow to her face, ears, and neck made it less than intimidating.

"Y-you stole that one!"

The pink-haired villainess slowly turned around with a grin. Then she held up her cuffed hands, shrugged and said, "...Thief."

After Jinx disappeared into the van, all eyes turned back to Raven. Sam raised her brows. Now _that_ was an exit... The violet-haired girl quickly pulled up her hood and sank into a black portal that opened beneath her. The other Titans, as well as the MTF, stood flabbergasted for several, long seconds before Robin concluded his business with the MTF and ordered the Titans out.

* * *

In her room in the Tower, Raven laid on her bed with her face pressing into the pillow, "Oh, Azar..."

After the initial embarrassment passed, the demi-Demon realized that Robin would probably want an explanation. The girl rolled onto her back and sighed... then her lips quirked up.

"Definitely _SNAFU_."

* * *

**_Step 5: Retrieve Your Prize_**

Jinx stood quietly at the precinct. Until MTF could get all the paperwork surrounding her conditional cooperation, which necessitated a court hearing, she would be staying in one of their temporary holding cells for a few days. Therefore, here she was at processing. Her file, though extensive, was lacking. The hex-caster preferred it that way. Jinx conceded, however, that if she wanted to do this... then she was going to have to give them something to go on. A token of good faith.

"Your prints don't match anyone on our list. Can I have your name please," said Officer Williams.

The pink-haired girl sighed and opened her mouth. That's when she noticed there were multiple eyes and ears upon her, hanging on every word. She blushed, and leaned forward. She whispered just enough for him to hear, even going so far as to cup her hands to hide her lips.

"...Kamala Malti..." and then she sat back and responded louder, "but I would prefer it if you would call me Jinx."

He nodded at his screen... and then blinked. He looked back to her, "Can you spell that?"

Muttering under her breath, she stood up and leaned over to type on the keyboard. She typed quite well for having both hands cuffed. He seemed about to protest, but two facts stopped him. The first was that she was a super-villainess who was probably capable of escaping at any point she wanted. Second, she was also a nervous teenage girl. Honestly, one or the other was bad enough... both was just asking for trouble.

Afterward, they went through the process of confiscation. They had to take off the cuffs so she could remove her backpack, but otherwise things ran smoothly. Kamala gave up her pink lighter, her incense, and collapsible table. The perfume, toiletries, and clothes also went quietly. She sat the book in her lap and handed him the backpack. Resting her hands over the book, the hex-caster sat back and stared at him.

The book itself was purple with cursive pink letters that read, 'Jinx' on the front cover. The front cover also had a metal lid that covered pages; this metal lit touched the metal rim on the back cover, where a small, single-dial combination lock.

"We'll have to take the book, too."

"Uh-uh. I said I'd cooperate, but there's no way I'm giving up my diary. You'd just want to read it--and that's not something an officer of the law should be doing. _Unless_... you're one of those _bad_ cops that want to know all my inner-most, _girly_ secrets, wants, and _desires_... so then you can use them to _manipulate_ my fragile self while I'm at a disadvantage and do all sorts of wicked, _dirty_ things to my sweet, innocent flesh..."

Williams sputtered, "Th-that's not-"

"_Besides_," she continued in full-swing monologue, "even the inmates in _The Shawshank Redemption_ were allowed to have books. Remember? To deprive us of necessary mental stimulation in a cold, isolated cell would drive people mad."

"That movie's about a man that escapes prison," Williams finally managed, flustered and caught up in arguing against the zany girl's wild theories.

"No it's not," she rebuffed, "It's about a flawed justice system, a corrupt slam, and a trapped, innocent man that overcomes the adversity of his internal and external demons."

"You can't s-"

It was at this point that the cop realized she could and would go on about anything and everything, finding some form of controversy in it regardless of what topic it was or what his response was. He didn't know if it was on purpose or not, but the officer could hazard a guess. With a roll of his eyes, Williams printed out a sheet of paper and gave her a pen sign it.

"Look, fine... keep the book. Part of the conditions of your cooperation is that you don't try anything funny... You're on the honor system until your trial. Don't make us regret it."

This done, he escorted her over to the cells, "Andrews, admitting one."

There was a buzz as a man in the booth, Andrews, unlocked the hallway, "Admitting one..."

Another buzz opened her cell and Jinx moved inside without a fuss.

* * *

In the end, the day passed calmly. The pink-haired villainess had requested a pen to scribble in her diary for some 20 minutes, but there was nothing to cause more complications until later that night. Jinx came to the bars, pressing her face against and one of her hair-horns sticking out.

"Excuse me... Mr. Jail-cop guy-person? Can I talk to ya for a sec?"

Officer Andrews rolled his eyes but humored the girl. In the interests of giving the Metahuman her right to a public and speedy trial--with an emphasis on _speedy_--they hoped to have her case dealt with as a matter of priority. Two days, they told the precinct. He could put up with her for two days.

He stopped in front of the cell, "What is it?"

"I was wondering if I could get my table and incense--it would be very much to your advantage if I could meditate before going to bed."

"You kept the book, must you insist?" he said, not wanting to generate more paperwork.

"You mean I no longer have the unalienable right as a citizen of the United States to freely practice my religion, free of persecution, just because I'm in custody? What about the Bill of Rights, what about the Constit-"

Before she could get started, Andrews headed her off with a wave of his hand. He'd listened to the whole spiel with Williams. He was _not_ in the mood for a repeat. Her peculiar statement after her request had caught his attention, however.

"_Enough_. How's it to our advantage?"

"Well, y'see..." she held up a hand, allowing it to suffuse with coral hex-magic, "Look at it like... a cotton-ball soaked with ether. I'm just a big, pink, cotton candy ball--'cause pink cotton candy's the best, after all. And my aura is constantly generating the stuff of Murphy's Law. So... so it's just gonna seep out into everything. That's just what it _does_.

"Whenever I get an apartment, I usually set up some strong wards. I know how to do it properly--the Metahuman block at JC Correctional _doesn't_. So that's why, despite all their fancy technology, restraints, and 'wards,'" and she paused to make two, glowing-pink commas in the air with mini-hexes at her fingers, "their cuffs rust, their electronics malfunction, and I always escape...

"I can't sense any wards on this place. I'm just trying to prevent your computer system from corrupting, your bars and hinges from rusting, the wall foundations from weakening 'cause... y'know... bad luck--hence my name!"

She paused to giggle, "I just said 'hence'! I'm bein' all _edu-ma-cationed_. Anyway...! If I can meditate, I can keep my little aura nice and contained."

He didn't have to think about it long. After signing the objects out from confiscations, he brought them back. She went about setting the table up in the center of the room and carefully setting up the incense. Technically, it wasn't proper observance of ceremony, but it was the best Jinx ever managed to pull off.

The incense's scent of 'tropical rain' slowly pervaded the room and she let out a slow breath. Now it was time to get down to business.

"Don't worry if anything funky starts happening..."

That didn't reassure Andrews in the least. He stayed to watch, just in case. She muttered quietly to herself for nearly half an hour while sitting in a lotus position with her palms together and her eyes closed. During this time, the room began to glow a soft fuchsia. Small tendrils of the energy stretched toward the hex-caster, to be absorbed into her being.

The lights flickered slightly several times, but Jinx continued her quiet chanting regardless. The pink-haired girl slowly took in more of the energy from the surrounding, glowing objects until they lost their glow; her aura once more pulled tightly against her body. As the last of the smoky aura drifted through the air and flowed into her, the air seemed to gain a tangible, static charge. Tiny flicks of coral, electric energy zapped about her body.

Finally, her chants ceased. The villainess pulled her hands apart, the currents of magical entropy arced between her fingers. Suddenly she clapped. There was a small, pink flash and particles of the same color puffed out from the gesture, slowly disappearing into the ether. Having shed the excess energy harmlessly into the atmosphere, she stood up.

Now feeling much more centered and calm, she was ready for bed. Sleep would do her good, at this point. Her nerves had been all over the place today, and some downtime was necessary or she'd just stress herself out. Jinx moved over to the toilet, dumped the incense ashes, and disassembled the table.

"What were you saying?" asked Andrews.

For all he knew, the girl had cast some kind of spell. It didn't do good to deal with the super-types and deny the existence of things like magic and all that outlandish stuff. Because ignorance only worked until some conjured Demon was gnawing on your carcass...

"It's a mantra; devotion to Vishnu. Didn't have the cash to shell out for all the proper stuff, so I just got an incense table..."

"What about all that stuff you stole, you had to turn a profit-"

Jinx frowned, "I'd rather not talk about it."

He nodded understandingly, even if he didn't completely understand and she couldn't see him do it. He started slightly when the girl turned around to hand the table to him through the bars. Her gaze smoldered upon him with magical intensity.

"Uh... your eyes are glowing."

She nodded slowly, moving toward the bed.

"That'll go-" she paused to yawn widely, "-away in a few hours. 'm gonna turn in."

Moments later, she was lying on the mattress and closing her eyes. Andrews lingered a moment, then turned away with a mental shrug. The night dragged on and soon the HIVE Five member found herself tossing and turning. Finally realizing it was a futile attempt, she opened her eyes. She heaved out an exasperated, tired sigh.

Getting out of bed, she pulled off the sparse coverings provided and situated them in the corner of the cell. Stuffing the pillow into the corner and wrapped herself in the thin blanket. There Jinx sat, knees pulled to her chest and head resting upon her knees. Under five minutes later, she was asleep.

The next day and a half passed similarly.

* * *

**--END CHAPTER--**

* * *

Hello and welcome to Jinx's 12-Step plan for catching a Raven! I hope you enjoyed the first five steps; there are seven more to go! Unlike my Riddick fiction, "Chronicle of Darkness," this will be a short story maxing at five chapters.

I planned it to be short specifically for this purpose. While writing Chronicle of Darkness, I realized there was only so much I could write about Riddick without getting sick of it. Therefore, in my _oh-so-infinite_ wisdom--can you feel the sarcasm oozing off that?--I decided to start a small project. One I knew (1) would end in a pre-determined number of chapters and (2) would be small enough to enjoy in one sitting--depending on how fast you read, of course.

Unfortunately, I once again underestimated myself. While the story is planned out, my mind ran away with it. Therefore, there IS a possible sequel to this! If the reviews are good (yes, that's a not-so-subtle hint that you _should_, in fact, leave a review), then I shall start up the sequel... which might just be a full-blown story in its own right, but don't quote me on that.

So! The formula is simple: Review this and--if the response is positive--I'll put up the second chapter. If reviews are good for that, I'll put up the next chapter. Repeat ad nauseam. If you enjoy the story and would like more... be sure to let me know you want that sequel!

Oh, and I'm sure you noticed, but I made up my own name for Jinx. Kamala Malti is my own imaginative name for her and I use it in most of my Teen Titans writings--none of which are up yet save this one. I think it works nicely.

-Lynx Klaw


	2. 02: Steps 6 through 8

2

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." -Oscar Wilde

**To Catch a Raven**

By Lynx Klaw

_Chapter 2: Steps 6 through 8_

**_Step 6: Take It for Shots and Registration_**

Hours after Jinx was in custody, Robin walked down the hallway of quarters in the upper part of Titans Tower. He didn't really want to start trouble, but he at least had to talk with Raven. He knocked on her door.

Raven knew his knock--everyone had distinctive knocks. His raps were always exactly evenly spaced and at the same volume, sharp like a military drumbeat. She opened the door, not bothering to draw up her hood in his presence. The mystic Titan stared at him passively and said nothing, even though she knew why he was there.

Unlike most times, she moved aside for him to enter. She didn't want to have this conversation out in the open. The Boy Wonder stood there for a moment, unsure of what he should say--or even how to say it. Raven understood; she didn't really know how to address... _it_... either. Hell, the demi-Demon couldn't even figure what to call that thing that had happened.

"I'll be honest, I'm a little confused. I'm not sure what happened and before I make my mind up about it, I'd like to hear whatever you can tell me."

Raven nodded and sat down on her bed. She took a few moments to gather her thoughts before speaking.

"I'm not exactly sure myself. I went to fight Jinx like I normally do... but then..."

"After Jinx... kissed you," he said slowly, forcing down the incredulity and agitation, "you said she 'stole that one.' Has she kissed you before?"

She knew he was trying not to make any preconceptions. It probably wasn't working too well, but she applauded him (not literally, of course) for the attempt. She could be candid with the teen sleuth and, if she could address his concerns, this conversation would go smoothly.

"Not before today. Jinx said she would surrender if she could kiss me. I could feel she was telling the truth... so I decided it would be easier than fighting," Raven said plainly.

The violet-haired girl was surprised at how simple it sounded. Kissing the villainess hadn't _felt_ simple at all; it had felt... it had felt _wow_. And _zing_-y. She blushed at the memory.

"Raven..." he began and she immediately knew she wouldn't like the next words, "this might not be a good thing. She's still a criminal and we don't know what could come of this. I don't want to see you hurt."

She would cede that point to him, "I understand that. I've been thinking about it, too... I'm still thinking about it. This isn't an idle--_something_. Because my emotions were a danger for so long... and continue to be even after I dealt with my father, anything involving them takes some serious consideration. It wasn't a decision I made lightly."

Robin leaned against her dresser as he listened to her. He nodded; it was good that she had thought this through. This conversation might have gone worse if she admitted she did it on a lark, which would have likely led to him becoming angry at her carelessness. He kept quiet, waiting for her to express herself fully.

"But I... I need this. More than that, I _want_ this. I want to explore these feelings and see where they lead. Who knows? Maybe I'll be happy. I think... think it's worth taking the chance."

After she finished, he stirred slightly and nodded. He could understand; after so many years of stuffing it down due to the fear she held of allowing her father free reign, she had finally ended that threat once and for all. With Trigon no longer hindering her expression of emotions, she was free to express herself without fear of beginning an apocalypse.

Unfortunately, if the Boy Wonder understood things correctly, also because of Trigon's defeat, she was now even more susceptible to her Demonic side. Raven didn't like to get into the specifics, so--as per usual--he respected her privacy. While free to feel, feeling _strongly_ remained a problem. So far, she'd kept it within tolerable bounds--barring the odd incident here or there... and even then, they managed. Anymore, it wasn't literally the end of the world if the demi-Demon got angry.

"Just be careful. We'll be watching her."

Raven expected no less and nodded. He turned to leave and was at the door before she stopped him.

"Richard... I don't mind if you keep an eye on her, but don't put her under the microscope. If you do that, she won't be comfortable and it could destroy any chance I have of... of there being something," the mystic Titan warned, her pale face slightly flushed.

With the barest of nods and a smile, he left.

* * *

The two days passed and Jinx was in her cell. The girl stood in the middle of the tiny space with her head bowed and her palms pressed together at chest height, fingers pointing up and perpendicular to her arms. Coral light slowly washed off her, seeking out _possibility_ and _coincidence_, filling her mind with off-chances and _un_likelihoods.

After two nights of meditation, she felt very much in control. The hex-caster sensed no leaks or seepage of misfortune. As far as the precinct was concerned, she had been a model detainee.

"Jinx," Andrews called.

She didn't respond immediately. Her eyes slowly lifted, her glowing gaze--now less unsettling that he had seen it twice before--settling on him. The aura, lapping against the walls like waves on a shore and breaking softly against the bars, stopped as though frozen. Slowly the energy rewound itself and enveloped the pink-haired girl. Within moments, the glow disappeared from Jinx's body and then left her eyes.

With a slow breath, she let her arms drop, "I'm ready."

* * *

Her appointed attorney sat with her in a small room while they waited for prior-scheduled trials to finish. She had allowed the authorities to cuff her on the way there, but they released her once in the custody of her attorney--another provision of her good behavior. There was a guard stationed at her door. From another door that joined two of these tiny offices, two lawyers entered. It was the prosecution, and she frowned slightly.

What were they doing here?

"There are some concerns for the trial," said her attorney... she wasn't paying attention when his name was given, "Since you will not be restrained during the hearing, it has been suggested that your Metahuman powers be temporarily nullified. There is such an agent that will do this, and we had hoped that you would agree to receive it."

Kamala took this in warily, looking between the three men. Well, if it engendered good will in the courtroom, then it might just tilt the decision in her favor. Still...

"How long's it last? Will it do anything to me?"

"Oh, about two hours," said one of the prosecutors, "just long enough for the hearing. Aside from putting your abilities temporarily out of reach, there shouldn't be any side-effects."

The hex-caster slowly nodded, "Alright. Um... Shouldn't there be a doc here or something?"

The other prosecutor opened up his briefcase and pulled out a hypo-gun. He then loaded it with a small vial, "It's a simple thing, it'll only sting a bit. The agent is binary--that means there's two parts. This is the first one."

The man rolled up her sleeve and put the device against the inside of her forearm. He pulled the trigger and she watched the pale, yellow liquid sink down the tiny tube. Within a minute, the HIVE Five member began to feel light-headed. Something was wrong about this...

"W-" she began, but her mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

Trying to stand up, she leaned forward. She was gently pulled back against the seat and Kammie found she didn't have the strength or will to resist. The pink-haired sorceress started to panic as the second ampoule was loaded--this one was a purplish liquid. Things took on a hazy, distorted view as the prosecutor approached again. It was as though she was looking at the world through a curtain of running water...

"So this truth serum stuff... it actually works? This isn't an action flick, after all."

His voice--whose she couldn't tell--sounded like she was listening to it through a long pipe.

"Yes. The power-suppressant is still experimental, but animal studies have been good so far. The computer-run hypothetical tests simulating Metahuman systems were positive. Even if it doesn't work, by the time she starts spouting out various crimes or using her powers, they'll have her under heavy lockdown."

Under the influence of the chemicals, Jinx had just caught up with their conversation, "Truth?"

It was becoming easier to talk, now. Much easier, she felt, as a steady stream of thoughts fell across her tongue. Kamala was able to keep them from passing through her lips--just barely. The dizziness was passing and her limbs were responding again. However, the hex-caster felt strangely placid. She grinned; she felt kind of... _float-y_.

"That's right, young lady, you just tell the truth..."

* * *

The Titans had appeared for the proceedings. For a change, Raven's hood was down. She and the others sat in the gallery, closest to the defense table. Sam and the two elderly owners of _Karasu's_ had appeared for the trial, as well. There was a small smattering of the curious, but it was fairly small group for all it felt like a bigger deal to the Titans.

Jinx's attorney led her to a seat at the defense table. She almost fell into it. Raven frowned, but said nothing. The hearing finally got under way when the judge arrived. This would likely be a quick thing, unlike most jury trials. It had probably been a good move for the girl to waive the jury in favor of a bench trial.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Rendalton..."

The pink-haired girl stood, teetered on her toes as she leaned too far forward, and rocked back onto her heels before regaining her equilibrium. Once again, Raven frowned.

'_Jinx should be taking this more seriously_,' she thought.

"You may be seated," called the bailiff.

Judge Rendalton glanced through the file the bailiff gave him and looked up, "Kamala Malti, you've expressed that you wish to make a statement for the record..."

Had she? If she had prepared a speech, then she couldn't remember it. Slowly, Kamala glanced around the room before settling her eyes upon the judge currently looking at her. A few vague thoughts ran through her head... She could _feel_ the words bubbling from her mind and up her throat without any means of blocking them.

Up she popped from her seat! The sudden movement made her attorney jolt in surprise.

"Thanks, yer on... hon... Your _Honor_. Call me Jinx, though, _please_?" she said in a slight pleading tone. The girl started slow, but then her tongue picked up speed, "I think there's some stuffs to be said 'bout... 'bout turning a new leaf and rena-... renouncing my wicked ways... ..."

Kamala paused, frowned, and then grinned, "But I can't 'member any of it!"

Raven's eyes--along with the rest of the court--had gone wide, '_Jinx, what the Hell are you _doing_?_'

Suddenly, the pink-haired villainess planted her hands on the table in front of her. She jumped and put herself into a handstand, then performed a forward walkover, landing on the other side of the table. In a single bound, the sorceress was across the court floor before anyone could stop her. Kamala arrived at the bench and raised her hands to stop herself from faceplanting it. With a hop, she nabbed the edge of the high desk and pulled herself up.

Holding onto it with one hand, she bent half over the bench toward Judge Rendalton, crooking a finger to motion him closer. Against his better judgment, he leaned forward. The zany girl whispered to him.

"I kin'a... hope thi' wors-... worry-... wor-_ks_ out. 'Cause," she stumbled over her words and giggled, "'cause 's a _secret_!" She cupped both hands as she had done at the precinct and spoke just loud enough for Rendalton to hear her. "_I wanna be Raven's girlfriend_!"

Unfortunately, because neither hand was sustaining her position on the bench, she slid back fairly quickly and landed with an undignified thud and 'oomph.' There she lay, feeling as though the room was rapidly spinning around her. She giggled slightly, then groaned as the action made her back twinge slightly.

The guards were just closing in, but the demi-Demon reached the hex-caster first. She landed softly from where she flew over the bar from the gallery, and knelt over the fallen girl. Raven patted the side of Kamala's face, but received no response save a slight mumble.

"What's gotten into you?" she demanded, trying to read the pink-haired girl's surface thoughts as before. They were jumbled and disoriented--the mystic Titan could make no sense of them.

Gently pulling back an eyelid, she found the HIVE Five member's pupil reigning over all aspects, the dilation leaving only a tiny sliver of pink rimming the edge before the sclera. Raven's brow twitched and she called to Robin.

"Robin, give me your flashlight."

She barely waited until he had it free of his belt before yanking it over to her with her powers. Raven flicked it on and shined it into Kamala's eye. Still no response. The demi-Demon's eyes narrowed. Pulling up the sleeves of the pink-haired girl's shirt, she found two small marks on her left arm.

"You're _drugged_!" she exclaimed aghast... furiously.

Tongue still loose, the girl known as Jinx suddenly broke into song, "You are the antidote that gets me by; Something strong; Like a drug that gets me... high!"

Ignoring this spontaneous outburst, Raven did a quick scan across those present in the courtroom, searching surface thoughts for malicious intent. Her mind was drawn to the lawyers; their thoughts tainted with the fear of unforeseen reactions by the pink-haired girl because of the drugs. They didn't expect her to be so _mobile_. Even the defense lawyer was in on it! Her back still to them, she could sense the lawyers had slowly slid their seats backward to slip away...

The defense and prosecution tables were possessed of dark energy and slid toward the bar, trapping the three lawyers.

"_Stay_," Raven hissed, her voice becoming raspier.

The demi-Demon hunched slightly, and then slowly began to grow. The cape billowed out, revealing an inky darkness with no defining features within its confines. A mass of black energy seeped out in tentacles of raw, mystical energy. These tendrils slid languorously across the ground, supporting and drawing the girl upward.

Her short, violet hair rapidly grew out, stopping at a length that--in her normal state--would have reached mid-back. A hissing growl issued from her gaping mouth, which now housed a pair of upper and lower fangs. Raven's eyes reddened and, startlingly, a second pair of eyes opened just above her ajna chakra gem. These, too, were red, and all four eyes burned with an unholy, crimson fire.

The power that encased the tables bled off the furniture and onto the lawyers, forming bands around them. These bands hauled them over the tables to the enraged Titan's 'feet'--which were little more than a writhing mass of pitch-colored energy. Raven leaned down, her lengthy form allowing her to bend onto herself like a serpent, and glared at the three men.

None dared interfere with this force of unnatural rage. Judge Rendalton, the bailiff, the court clerk, and court reporter had long since moved away from the scene. The latter three sought refuge in the empty jury box. Fear and tension ran high... and ran higher when the demi-Demon spoke in a deep, dual-toned voice that sounded like grinding boulders forming words.

"**What have you _done_?**"

"Raven!" someone's voice penetrated her fury-driven haze.

Four eyes drifted over to Robin, who had jumped the bar. He was by the lectern's microphone, which augmented his voice and fed it to the small speakers about the courtroom. Recognition dawned in those fiery, tetraophthalmic slits. Slowly, Raven's size diminished and her form became distinguishable from the living shadows that temporarily inhabited her cape.

Though still quite nightmarish in appearance, the Titan seemed under her own control once more. Her breathing was anger-quickened, but she did not seem to be ready to lash out. The glow of those four oculars slowly fell away and turned back to the cowering men before her.

She _roared_ at them, filling the room with her anger as it rebounded off the walls in ungodly tones. It was the only way the Titan could think to expel the ire that welled up within her in a nonviolent fashion. Later, Beast Boy would describe it as coming straight out of a Jurassic Park movie, as though the entire reptilian cast had called out in unison; it was far more frightening than his tyrannosaurus rex roar, which he had _thought_ was badass until today. The sound she made touched something primal inside him, telling every morph-able cell in his body to _flee_--as quickly as possible.

Raven whirled around, cape fluttering behind her. With a gesture, Kamala was gently lifted into the air by a blanket of dark magic. The demi-Demon approached the unconscious sorceress and, upon drawing within a foot of her, a dark aura mirroring the one around Kamala manifested about Raven. The energies merged, shrouding both teens from sight, and formed a bird of prey consisting completely of that dark magic enveloping them both.

This giant, winged mass of magic shrieked out and flew up through the ceiling like a phantom, leaving the courtroom in a state of shock and anxiety. Robin moved over to the three men, who had not looked up to notice that Raven was gone.

"Bailiff," the Boy Wonder said while his thunderous glare weighed heavily upon the lawyers, "get rid of this scum... I'm still thinking up charges. By the time I'm done, they just might wish Raven had taken them!"

* * *

**_Step 7: Take It Home_**

In the infirmary of Titans Tower, the mystical bird of prey seeped from the floor. It receded to reveal Raven holding an unconscious Jinx. She didn't like how shallow the pink-haired girl's breathing was and how fast her heart was beating. Laying the hex-caster on the bed, the demi-Demon summoned some of the power brimming in her system.

'_Might as well use it or I'll just be restless all day..._'

Currently, she couldn't think of a better use than healing what damage the drug might be causing the sorceress. Raven's hand glowed a soft white, a thick tendril of misty energy falling from her hand into Jinx's body. Slowly, she isolated the remnants of the drug and destroyed them. It wasn't hard, just tedious.

Unfortunately, what was already in the HIVE Five member's system would have to pass naturally. She didn't want to tamper with the villainess on a level that would affect her nervous and endocrine systems. No longer in danger of overdosing on the drugs, Jinx came around within a few minutes.

Raven was busy hooking her up to a few monitoring systems; heart rate, breathing, blood pressure... a few others she was sure weren't strictly necessary, but the mystic Titan wasn't taking chances. This done, she pulled a chair to the bedside with her powers and sat down. She stayed like that for several minutes until Jinx slowly came around. Her eyes had lost their supernatural glow, leaving only four, slit-like sockets housing fire-engine-red gems. Cotton-candy eyes, still dilated more than they should have been, gazed back unfocusedly.

Jinx lifted a hand and trailed a finger down the side of Raven's forehead, by the corners of those bright, red eyes. The zany, drugged girl smiled and let her hand fall back to the bed. Her voice was soft and dazed.

"...pretty..."

Instead of responding to this, Raven suggested that Jinx try to rest. After that, she set the various monitoring systems to alert her communicator of any changes and returned to her room. The demi-Demon needed distance herself from the high-intensity feelings to return herself to normal... to stuff the Demonic side down.

She would have to cut her hair, she noted. Right now, however, she just wanted to meditate and calm her jangled nerves.

* * *

It was almost an hour and a half before Robin and the others returned to the Tower. The Boy Wonder's first stop was by the infirmary. Even angry, Raven would have had the sense to bring Jinx there. He slid open the door to the infirmary and heard some soft, wordless singing interspersed with hummed bars. Apparently, the girl was awake; she sounded drowsy, though. That was probably something to do with the drugs the lawyers administered.

His hands clenched into fists. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was when people charged with upholding the law used their position to break the law. Robin would see them disbarred and imprisoned to the harshest sentencing. If Jinx--Kamala, he reminded himself--was serious about turning her life around, even if it was just for a shot at Raven's attention, then this could have distorted how she perceived her chances. Truthfully, this simply strengthened her case.

If the sorceress felt as if forces were rallying against her, though, it could make her go back to crime or, at worst, lash out. Typically, growing up under the Bat, the Boy Wonder had seen too many criminals go through Arkham like a revolving door. Rehabilitation seemed to be a joke; they would never change.

However, he couldn't subscribe to Bruce's almost wholesale belief that no criminal could ever change. There were exceptions, he knew. There were _always_ exceptions. He could only pray that those men had not ruined that chance for the zany, pink-haired teen. More importantly, Raven felt something about this. Robin didn't want this to turn into another 'Malchior Incident.'

As he approached, he heard the girl's dazed, unidentifiable tunes come to a stop.

"I can hear you!" she sang, stretching out every vowel for several seconds.

Shrugging off stealth, he came around the curtain to the bed where she lay. The moment she laid eyes on him, she began speaking to him directly--and she didn't _stop_.

"I think something bad happened. I hope Raven's not angry. I tried to do it, I really did! Am I going back to slam? Does Raven still like me? I feel kinda funny, I think somethin's wrong with me...

"I remember this one time when Gizmo and some of his friends tampered with my food and it made me all kooky for a bit. I don't remember much, it all slid together like melting ice cream. Lemme tell ya, a melted banana split is just yuck! Anyway, that was when we were still at HAEYP and the Headmistress was still leading us.

"I've always admired the Headmistress. She was always in control, even when the exceptional students would start some havoc. Headmistress was like the eye of the storm. She had so much control--I really wanted to be like her, so I always studied hard an' practiced 'n' everything.

"At any rate, whatever Mike put in my food messed me up for a few hours and somehow I managed to get into the Headmistress' chambers. Yer not s'pposed to be able to do that. She had, like... mad security that nobody in the whole of the academy could bypass. Even _I_ dunno how I did it!

"Well, I got in and I remember runnin' about her room and lookin' at all her cool stuff. When she finally grabbed a hold of me, I think I kissed her. I'm not really sure why, but it seemed like a good idea at the time... hm...

"Anyhow! Headmistress was really impressed that I got passed her security, so--after she sent me to Medical to get treated for whatever Gizmo 'n' his friends did--she said she was putting my squad an' I on a special training regimen. It was _really_ hard!

"She told me that, someday, I'd be a top-class mercenary. Tha's what I always wanted to be, y'know? A merc! I was gonna take all sorts of missions and make a name for myself. Since Headmistress oversaw the Western US branch of HAEYP, she suggested I start looking up possible connections that could hire me to work in junction with the Titans.

"She said that the Titans get funded pretty well, an' I could probably get paid pretty good for workin' joint missions with 'em. An' Raven! She's a mystic--the profiles Headmistress let me look at said she had some uncharted powers! So... so I had to be one of the best mercs out there--and maybe I could get close to Raven. We had it _all_ planned out!"

Robin frowned. It sounded like Jinx had been working this from the start--aiming to get in good with the Titans. A mercenary for hire, she mentioned. Something, however, didn't pan out... didn't make sense. The hex-caster _wasn't_ a mercenary, and she _didn't_ contact the Titans. What happened? As soon as the question entered his mind, she answered it. The uncanny timing of it almost startled him.

"But then Headmistress disappeared. I miss her. Brother Blood was just... there, one day. I dunno how he took over, but he did. He had everyone's mind on a leash--even mine 'n' Mikron's. The classes changed around, too. He started training us into his personal little weapons. I still wanted to be a mercenary... but... but he did something. I can't remember what..."

Kamala frowned, trying to work through the haze in her mind. Her hand lifted to her forehead, "Ow... Something... to my head. Fucked me up big time, for a while. I think he..."

With a hiss, she abruptly abandoned the topic. It was literally painful. Sinking back into her pillows, Kammie sighed and let the calm lassitude of the drugs in her body wash over her. Suddenly, she felt very tired.

"Ya think..." the pink-haired girl paused for a yawn, "Brother Blood's outta the picture. I wonder what happened to Headmistress; wonder if she'll ever come back; wonder if she's back at HAEYP. She never _did_ give me my diploma..."

The Titan sleuth watched as she drifted off. Shaking his head, he realized just how screwed up everything had gone. As he quietly walked out the door, a thought crossed his mind. If she'd had this planned out for so long... would she pick up where she left off if given the chance? The Boy Wonder could speculate either way for all eternity, but he would be no closer to the answer. Still... it was food for thought.

* * *

Raven appeared in her mindscape. Quadruple, red eyes cast around for a moment, divining the direction her mind was taking. The path of floating slabs led left and right. She saw, in the distance, a boundary gate. Floating over to it, she took a breath. She really wasn't looking forward to this.

The moment Raven crossed the threshold she was 'glomped' by a pink-cloaked doppelganger. Four red eyes wide with jubilance stared into hers. Happy exclaimed in her face, as always, because the emotion had no concept of an 'inside voice.'

"She thinks we're pretty!"

"I heard her myself. Get off me, please," she said with mustered patience, shoving the girl into the mindscape of pink, yellow, and white flowers. "I need to see Intelligence. Is she-"

"Yep! Still in the library!"

Dragging herself away from Happiness' pestering optimism, the mystic Titan moved down the pathway running down the middle of the endless fields of flowers and to the portal in the distance. Once she crossed the threshold to the next mindscape, she was between aisles of bookshelves that towered high above into the blackness. Here, she turned down one aisle to find a small room of sitting pillows. All about this area, several columns of books sat in an order only the reader of these tomes could discern. In the middle of this sat a yellow-cloaked Raven with glasses resting upon her nose. The glasses had four lenses, through which those four red eyes read from a book. Intelligence set the book aside at Raven's arrival.

"Tell me this is going to work."

The chrestomathic representation patted the pillow beside her and Raven reluctantly took a seat on the pillow in front of the emotion.

Intelligence sighed, "I can't say for sure. The trial was sabotaged, so it could engender feelings of distrust and enmity with Kamala--there is a general dislike for Metahumans... or it could give the court some insight into the unfairness of her situation. From a legal standpoint, this weakens the case against her. A little positive reinforcement might help. Our departure was rather abrupt--perhaps you should speak with Robin."

Raven nodded. She knew this, but it felt good to have reassurance even if it came from 'herself.' Hesitantly, she asked her next question, "About reverting. Is there any other emotion or is it just..."

Intelligence finished for her, "Anger. Raven, it has been rare in the past... but I agree with her. What occurred to day was deplorable to my sense of equanimity. There was no reasoning--logical or otherwise--that justified the lawyers' means. They could have mounted a case against her with evidence of her as a repeat offender or any number of other arguments that would have made it next to impossible for Kamala to attain any form of probation or parole."

While the yellow-cloaked emotion's voice was calm, there was a steadfast resolution to her voice that bordered on forceful. It surprised Raven, but she wasn't planning on arguing. The demi-Demon stood up and offered a light smile at Intelligence.

"It'll be okay," she told the emotion.

She left Intelligence to her books, which were little more than her memories of the day that had to be sorted. The mystic Titan returned to the walkway down the aisles of various memories and experiences throughout her life to the gateway. The gateways were mutable, opening not to just one but any of her emotion's mindscapes; the gateways could be directed--if one knew how. She passed through directly to Anger's mindscape.

Fire formed an ocean on the horizon. Jutting up from this volcanic landscape were various stone columns connected at the top by cliffhanger walkways. _Just_ wide enough for her to stand with both feet together, the passages formed an unforgiving, serpentine path.

Raven moved silently across the trail, floating over the perilous gaps rather than walk the flexuous path. In the distance--dead center of the mindscape--she could see a figure in a bright, blood red cloak watching her approach, its eyes blazing with enraged, ruby luminescence. It looked out at the world through a permanent glare with those crimson oculars. The figure hung in the air like an idle marionette on invisible strings, limbs hanging limply within the cloak, hovering some six inches off the pathway.

When she touched down, the emotion spoke to her in its dual-toned, Demonic voice, "**I knew you would come. The moment you ceded control to me, I knew it was only a matter of time before you came to lock me away.**

"**You've always been a self-righteous _bitch_ with your emotions. Why should that change just because we're free of Father?**"

The demi-Demon took everything Anger said with a grain of salt--it wasn't in the emotion's nature to show respect or be amicable in any shape, form, or fashion.

"Things _have_ changed. I'm still trying to regulate the extent to which my emotions express themselves, but I'm not stopping them. My powers remain linked to all of you, so I need to keep some form of control.

"That said... I'm not here to lock you away. I'm here to listen to you. Since Father's destruction, the others have expressed themselves in several situations. You've been uncharacteristically quiet."

Anger silently digested Raven's explanation for a moment, and then launched into a tirade. She screamed promises of wrath upon the lawyers at Kamala's trial. She roared epithets and grievances against her fellow Titans. It growled menacing, fury-distorted words about everything from the narrow-minded mortals on the streets to politics and economy. The emotion even muttered against Jinx.

Anger was huffing with the force of her self-perpetuated ire by the end of it all, "**...and kissed us in front of _everyone_! She had no _right_. How _dare_ she embarrass us in public? She could have done _irreparable_ damage to our livelihood with her _impetuous_ acts. The press will smear us and make it _impossible_ for us to go out without harassment!**"

Raven withstood it all, letting the waves of seething hate wash over her. She accepted the negativity and, after addressing it, let the matters die. Seeing the emotion practically exhausted from the prolonged rant, she moved over to Anger and put a hand on its shoulder.

"It's okay to be angry, I realize that... I won't repress you. As for the lawyers-"

"**Strangle them with their own intestines!**" Anger interrupted.

Raven blinked. Okay, that was a rather _colorful_ image. She replied easily, "...Not quite. However, you have my word that I will see them punished severely for this. I'm sure Robin is already taking care of it--but I'll look into it personally. If I'm not satisfied, I'm sure I can manage a nightmare curse to suffice..."

After that rare train of vindictive thought, she pulled Anger closer and embraced her, "We'll get 'em. I swear we'll get 'em."

The emotion stiffened, acutely uncomfortable with this display of affection. It conflicted with her base nature. It struggled to find an appropriate response, but wasn't equipped to do so. In the end, Anger reverted to what it knew best.

"**...You're still a bitch.**"

Raven let her go and smirked, "I know."

The demi-Demon felt more stable, now. She took her leave from the emotion and returned her consciousness to the Physical Realm. When she opened her eyes, she was relieved that she did so with only two eyelids. The mystic Titan decided it was time to speak with Robin.

* * *

While the others argued over preparing a meal of meat (or tofu) or tofu (or meat)--whatever, they'd work it out eventually--Richard had compiled recent information on Jinx into her dossier. Every criminal he'd ever fought since the formation of the Titans had one. He could also link to Bruce's files or have Barbara send him information through the Oracle network. The Bat Family believed in covering their bases where intel was concerned; every one of them as obsessive as the other about knowing their enemies as well as their allies.

'_Keep your friends close... and your enemies even closer. Certainly doing that, aren't we?_'

Logging off the main computer, he leaned back and considered his options. Jinx could be a complication or an asset to the Titans. Richard intended to keep her in the latter category as much as possible. Since Blood had taken over, they had soundly trounced the HIVE Five. However, that first battle had been the hardest. While not under Brother Blood's influence, those three were a formidable force. The meticulous execution of Jinx's plan at _Karasu's_ spoke for itself.

He remembered their first run-in with the HAEYP students. They could fight as a group, split to continue fighting solo, and merge into a single combative unit as fluidly as a river. The Boy Wonder loathed admitting it, but the Titans didn't have that level of organization, yet.

He wanted that. Richard decided to see if he could get anything on HIVE's training methods. Before the Titans leader could contemplate this further, his communicator beeped at him. Flicking it open, he saw the notification he'd set on the infirmary--Jinx was regaining consciousness. Standing up, he left the noisy common room/kitchen area for the quiet of the hallway.

* * *

Kammie awoke--again--to the slightly antiseptic smell of the infirmary. With Raven's healing and time, the drug's effects had finally ended, leaving the pink-haired villainess confused and lethargic. She felt out of touch with the world... as though she'd been living in a dream and, now awake, could no longer remember what that dream had been. There was a gap in her memory, that much was obvious. How big? How long had she been out of it?

She held up her hand, staring at it intently. Unlike usual, it took a bit of concentration to summon her powers and, when she finally managed, it the effects were minimal. Tiny, dust-like particles of glowing, pink hex flitted from the tips of her fingers. Finally, a tiny zap akin to static electricity arced between her fingers in a short, coral burst. It wasn't much, but the sorceress could feel it growing within her. It would come back in time. Abandoning the conjuring, she let her hand fall to the bed and looked up.

"Gonna stand there all day or tell me what happened?"

Robin moved around the curtain. Stealth didn't work with her when she was clean of the drugs, either; she seemed to have some preternatural sense. You just couldn't sneak around some people. Her fuchsia eyes were normal, no longer dilated to the point where it was impossible to tell she had vertical pupils. In all, save for the hints of fatigue in her voice, she appeared fine.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

She squinted, eyes turning to the ceiling for a moment. Kamala tried to pull things out of that void between then and now, but they refused to focus or be examined. The girl huffed and gave up.

"I was getting out of the car... walking up the steps of the courthouse--bunch o' steps. Good thing I wasn't restrained, woulda hated to go up 'em in leg irons. After that... ...Sorry, everything's kinda fuzzy. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in here, and here we are. I get little flashes of stuff--images and sounds--but nothing concrete. How long have I been out?"

He decided not to mention their previous conversation since she obviously didn't remember it, "Only a few hours. You were taken to a waiting room in the courthouse. There the lawyers--yours _and_ the prosecution--conspired and drugged you. We're still finding out what it was from what remained in the prosecutor's briefcase. They set you loose in the courtroom; my guess is they were hoping you would sabotage your own hearing with the state they put you in."

When she stiffened and her pupils began to grow large, he quickly continued, "Raven was first to spot your abnormal behavior and immediately suspected something was wrong. When she found out you were drugged, she pointed out the lawyers and immediately brought you to the Tower to treat you."

He glossed over the particulars; it would likely only make her worry further. The Boy Wonder gave a small smile in hopes of reassuring her, "Judge Rendalton wants to meet you for an informal talk. To say the least, he's not happy that the lawyers turned his courtroom into a circus... so he's cutting lawyers out of the equation.

"This is a good thing--he's already leaning in favor of you in light of the situation."

Leaning up, Kamala stuffed the pillow behind her back and sat up.

"If you say so..."

"Jinx, if you get your probation with community service... what do you intend to do? Become a stand-by Titan?"

The hex-caster was quiet for a moment as she mulled over the possibilities in her head. In the end, it just didn't seem plausible. Not that she wouldn't like it, but there were too many factors to the heroine lifestyle that conflicted with her way of life. Being a villainess wasn't much better. Both had their restrictions and went against the flow at times.

"No, I don't think I'm cut out for that sort of thing. I can help in emergencies, I suppose... but my powers aren't the _helping_ kind, if you get me. I've always wanted to be more of a... a mercenary. Just do what needs doing--I could pick my missions, not overextend myself. Once I get my name out there and in demand, I can be picky with jobs."

Robin understood where she was trying to steer the conversation and went along with it. It helped that she didn't remember anything she told him before; it probably made it easier for her to work herself toward her goal if she felt no one knew her ulterior motives.

"Why be picky? Most mercs aren't known for their high moral standards."

Kamala stared, those pupils narrowing into almost invisible slits and a slight frown bringing pink brows closer together.

"I'm not most mercs."

The teen sleuth smirked, "Because most mercs won't have an angry girlfriend?"

The pink-haired girl blushed and muttered under her breath. He chuckled lightly, but by its end, his stern image was back in place. She sobered quickly, immediately attuned to his change in mood.

"If you became a mercenary, would you extend your services to the Titans?"

Kammie pretended to ponder it, "Depends... mercenaries get paid. As they say, 'The creed is greed.' Money might not buy happiness, but it'll buy anything else I need."

Robin shrugged, "We'll work it out when we get there; but if you're open to the idea, I'm sure we can come up with a number. Now, if you're feeling up to it, you can grab a shower and join us for dinner. ...I think Raven would like that."

* * *

**_Step 8: Feed It_**

As Richard came out of the infirmary, he saw Raven floating his way, "Just who I was looking for. Jinx is awake, if you want to talk to her. Her things are in the locker closest to the door in the infirmary--she has a few changes of clothes. Could you show her to the shower?"

Raven blinked as he left her. Of course, he could have done it himself. He had left it to her--left Kamala to her. She smiled a bit and phased through the door into the sterile room.

The demi-Demon walked over quietly to the hex-caster, who was trying to muster up the energy to move. It seemed her limbs didn't quite agree with what her mind wanted them to do, yet.

"Take it slow; it took a lot out of you. Are you feeling better?" the mystic Titan asked as she came to the side of the bed.

"Much. Thanks... for everything," she said quietly, and then blushed, "Um, do you think you could help me up? My legs are kinda... _numb_."

"It's circulation. I was worried about your vital functions, so I drew the bulk of your blood toward your vital organs while I was healing you. Warmth and motion should fix that."

As Raven bent down to put an arm under Kamala's back, she found herself staring at the other girl. She moved closer and pressed her lips to the other girl for a moment. The pink-haired, would-be mercenary sighed under her and quietly began to purr. It was a simple kiss, less overwhelming and more relaxed. Raven's hair fell over her shoulder and brushed against Kamala's neck and clavicle, causing the sorceress to giggle.

The violet-haired heroine pulled back, "What?"

"Your hair tickles."

"I meant to cut it..."

The hex-caster reached out, tucking the violet strands behind a slightly pointed ear, caressing the outer shell down to the lobe as she did so, "Don't. It looks nice."

The demi-Demon blushed, but smiled--just a bit. Finally, she helped the girl up and led her out of the infirmary; the locker opened and Kammie's backpack floated after them.

* * *

After Kamala had her shower, Raven took her by the hand and led her to the common room and kitchen. Eight eyes turned to them and the HIVE Five member's hand instinctively and anxiously tightened over the Titan's. The violet-haired girl squeezed back in a gesture of reassurance and tugged her gently forward to the table. Still holding the pink-haired girl's hand, the mystic Titan purposefully forced her teammates to accept the hex-caster as part of her life.

Richard hid a small smile behind a glass of lemonade. It was good to see that Raven was taking an active interest in something--some_one_. At first, he had been worried that Jinx would be out of control and drag Raven around like a giant dog with a small child holding the leash. It was good that his teammate was being so assertive. Before the fall of Trigon, it was a rare sight. She no longer passively observed the world as it passed her by. The Titan sleuth watched as Raven brought over Jinx, finally letting the sorceress' hand go to help herself to the hotdogs.

In the end, the other Titans turned back to their food--a mixture of tofu and pork hotdogs--and their discussions. Richard went back to explaining the customs of Halloween to Koriand'r, and Victor and Gar argued the strengths and weaknesses of their respective diets. Raven and Kammie quietly murmured amongst themselves about various topics they had in common.

Slowly, the pink-haired hex-caster's conversation became more and more distracted, her responses becoming shorter and, at times, monosyllabic. Frowning at Kamala's preoccupation, Raven slowly lowered her barriers--and instantly filtered out the overbearingly loud thoughts of Gar and Vic. Richard's mind was still on the surface, but she knew better. Kamala's mind was so distressed it was broadcasting her thoughts.

'_If he keeps staring at me I'm going to crap my karma! Why is he looking at me? I didn't _do_ anything! What does he _want_? He hasn't looked away for the past _five minutes_. Don't look at him, if you just ignore 'im, maybe he'll stop..._'

Surreptitiously, the demi-Demon glanced at the Boy Wonder. He continued his small talk with Kori without missing a beat, but his drilling gaze upon the pink-haired girl never wavered. She sent to him sharply on their private link. To his credit, he didn't start; the only reaction was a slightly tighter grip on his glass of lemonade.

'Richard_._'

'_Yes?_'

'_No microscopes..._'

She knew he didn't realize he was doing it. He tended to dissect people on instinct. It was a habit, likely picked up from his time with Bruce. The Titan sleuth didn't reply, but calmly turned his focus to the pitcher of lemonade on the table to pour another glassful. This done, he turned his eyes to the Tamaranean to continue his conversation.

Raven pulled the pink-haired girl's attention back to their discussion on magic, "What stones do you usually use for your Blood Rites?"

With Robin's gaze no longer on her, Kamala's stress significantly lowered until she slid back into the topic fully, "For a while, I was using obsidian and this new knife I ordered through a catalogue... but the yield was _way_ lower than all the tomes in the Academy library rated its potentiality. I couldn't get it. I even sliced a Release Glyph into my _right_ palm--which wasn't easy to do 'cause I'm right handed."

She doodled the runic symbol on her palm with a finger, "But I _still_ wasn't getting the right yield. That's when I started looking at the basics and researched everything. I know it's stupid, but I didn't pick up on it until almost a week later. The knife I was using was _stainless steel_. The elements were all confused."

"So I tossed the knife and had Mikron cast me one in iron. After that, things went pretty smooth."

Raven nodded, but made a vague symbol in the air that only made sense if one understood the intricacies of mysticism, "With that kind of... thing, I've found it best to go neutral. I ran into that same problem--I had to make another ajna chakra gem. My old one was made of rose quartz--I'd had it forever. I could have upgraded to a ruby anytime, but I only just decided on it recently...

"I swear I almost gave myself anemia trying to purify the ruby with all the Blood Rites. I tried all my blades--iron, bronze, gold, silver--but none of them would work! Eventually, I broke down and splurged on a glass dagger-"

The pink-haired girl broke in, "Taking the factor of a metal's mystical resonance _completely_ out of the equation..."

"Exactly, since the mystical resonance of glass is so obviously _null_, there were no conflicting frequencies in my mystical field. Everything became _harmonic_. The moment I opened my palm, I could feel the energy transferring into the ruby before my blood even _touched_ it!"

Kammie was about to respond, but paused when she noticed the silence around the rest of the table. Robin's glass was halfway to his lips, frozen in place inches from his mouth. Beast Boy's mouth was open, jaw sagging around a tofu hotdog waiting to be bitten. Cyborg just sat blinking at them, tongs hovering over the plate of meaty goodness. Starfire slurped at an empty bottle of mustard, too distracted to reach for another bottle while her wide, green eyes remained fixated on the other girls.

While Richard was glad that Raven had opened up by finding a mutual topic to discuss instead of remaining silent during their meals... the Boy Wonder had just lost his appetite. He brought the glass to his lips, took a sip, and then slowly set his drink down. He glanced to Raven, who had turned to her plate and bit into her hotdog... a bit of ketchup oozed out the other side and landed on the plate...

Finally noticing the silence herself, the demi-Demon looked up at her other teammates. Swallowing her bite, she frowned at them.

"..._What_?"

* * *

**--END CHAPTER--**

* * *

Well, there ya go! The second installment of TCAR. Yes, I noticed the Titans pun in the acronym. That's neither here nor there, though. Here we've a 'sad' part of the short story with Jinx's drugging and subsequent rambles.

As for that word, 'tetraophthalmic'... no, it's not a typo. That's my medical student side shining through. Call it a bit of in-text reading comprehension. If you didn't get it, just do a quick search for it. That's Google's purpose, after all. You learn something new every day. I know, I said the 'L'-word and nobody wants to _learn_, but I'm a bastard that way.

More fun, humor, and 'aww'-moments. I'm enjoying this silly story. I hope you are, too! There's only a bit more to come, so review quick and I'll post the next one!

-Lynx Klaw


	3. 03: Steps 9 and 10

3

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." -Oscar Wilde

**To Catch a Raven**

By Lynx Klaw

_Chapter 3: Steps 9 and 10_

**_Step 9: Give It a Place to Nest_**

The next day, Judge Rendalton was signing a few court orders that crossed his desk. He only had a few appointments today and two short hearings. At least, they were supposed to be short. Yesterday's 'short' hearing was nothing _short_ of insanity! Suddenly, he noticed a slight humming sound. Frowning, he stood up and tried to pinpoint the sound. Just in front of his desk, a growing pool of black energy seeped up through his carpet! Rendalton backed up against his desk, eyes wide.

Bulging upward, the oozing energy poked up in avian form, and then opened four, blood-red eyes that shone like demented Christmas lights. This birdlike shape opened its wings, revealing the pink-haired girl--Jinx, he remembered (it wasn't as if he could forget)--standing almost dazedly in front of him. The pitch energy receded, the beak became a blue hood, and its wings folded back to form the edges of a cape. As the eerie darkness finally removed itself from his room, Raven pulled her hood back.

"I'll be outside if you need me," the demi-Demon said, and then walked _through_ the door to the waiting room outside.

From the next room, the judge heard his secretary squeak in surprise.

"Um..." said Kamala after recovering from the teleporting, "Am I early?"

There was a pause as Rendalton recovered and glanced at his clock--9:02 AM. Shaking his head, he went to his desk and sat down just a bit heavily.

"No, no... I just wasn't expecting you to... _arrive_ so suddenly," he said, gathering the papers on his desk and shifting them to the side. Beneath the papers lay a folder, which he opened up.

"Please, sit. Before those men made a mockery of my court, I was interested to hear your proposal in your own words. Putting what happened during the trial aside, I am still interested. Could you explain to me what brought you to this proposal?"

The pink-haired hex-caster blinked and took a seat in the padded chair, "Uh... I'm sorry; I don't really... _remember_ what happened during the trial-"

"You were drugged," he said without preamble and a slight hint of anger, "I've seen to the matter personally, but you also have the right to press charges."

"Press charges... I can do that?"

She'd never had the right to take legal action of any sort. Working outside the law rather negated all the rights a regular citizen might have. To have the same freedoms as any _normal_ person--it was an immense and shocking delight to the girl.

"Yes, if you wish. I would consider it, in your position. It will lay heavy on their sentencing."

"What happens if I rat, though?" she muttered.

The judge frowned, "Excuse me?"

"HIVE stands for the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination. It's not an idle title," Kamala explained, "States evidence has a nasty habit of having their tongues cut out and their throats slit. It's standard procedure--we're all taught this during our first year at the Academy. It's a fact: rats get exterminated.

"While I'm sure the HIVE has no connections to the lawyers, I need to think about it. If I get labeled a rat, I'm a high-priority target for every HIVE member. I heard of this one guy, Silvers... He's one of the HIVE operatives and one serious whacko. He's hunted down rats for the better part of his career. I heard he has jars of tongues from rats he's offed.

"No way do I wanna be a notch on his or anyone else's belt."

"Do you fear for your life--we can put you in protective custody," offered Rendalton. He was looking decidedly pale at the girl's explanations.

Kammie shook her head, "Nah, wouldn't do you any good; we have our own people in the boys in blue. A couple judges of our own, too. It'd be like putting a goldfish in a piranha tank. I'll need to think this over..."

That she told him there were dirty cops and judges rankled his temper viciously, but this girl lived in a world where all the veils of polite society had been removed. He knew that, if he asked, she would never tell him those that allied themselves with HIVE; because she wasn't a 'rat.' The underworld of organized crime ruled Kamala's perception and he couldn't let it upset his own principles. If he forced it out of her by rejecting the proposal until she told him, he would be putting her in danger. Rendalton hated it when the grey areas were mostly dark...

"Can I use your phone? I need to call someone about this."

"I suppose, if you feel it would help," he said, turning the phone system toward her.

The villainess snagged the phone off its cradle and punched in a number so quickly it had to have been by rote. Moments later, she was sagging back into the chair, her mind completely engrossed in the conversation.

"Yes, I'd like to speak with the guidance counselor... I'm a former student. I graduated about two years ago. ... 1091424. ... Um, no, I don't think the line's secure."

She went quiet while the operator directed her call, and then muttered incoherently to herself when no immediate connection occurred. Suddenly, she jolted back to awareness.

"Yes, this is Jinx. I have a question--it's about liability and ethics. ... Well, I got drugged by some guys while I was at a trial. I got a chance to press charges- ... No, no I don't need to hire anyone. If I was gonna have 'em whacked, I'd do it myself and save the money."

Rendalton blinked and sat back. This girl was certainly strange... and possibly worrying. The fact that she was calmly discussing the pros and cons of a hired hit man versus hands-on murder greatly bothered him. He tried not to let it show.

"Well, I kinda wanna press charges. ... I wasn't sure if I should, because I'm no rat and- ... Are you sure? ... Really? So as long as they're not affiliated- ... Oh, okay. Thanks. Mhm, bye." Kamala put the phone back on its cradle and sat back with a satisfied smile on her face. She nodded, "Sure, I'll press charges."

"You'll need to talk to an attorney, I'll suggest one from an office that's trustworthy so there are no repeats. This could be a high-profile case, I'll warn you," said the judge, "However, I think it's in your best interests to receive restitution for your troubles.

"Back on the first topic... The main reason I asked you here was to settle the matter of your probation and community service. What prompted you to turn yourself in?"

The HIVE Five member turned an interesting shade of red and glanced toward the door to the waiting room. This bashful display only proved what she had said during the trial. Rendalton had read the police report--how Jinx had made her grand exit from the scene of the 'crime.' He decided to let the sorceress put it in her own words.

"For a long time, I've wanted to be a mercenary... but my academy got mixed up with the wrong guy and HIVE didn't know what was going on until it was too late. By the time they sorted it out, the Titans had already deposed Brother Blood and locked him away.

"After that, everyone kinda... snapped back to normal. Mostly. Some of the students had been brainwashed to the point where HIVE had to do some mental housecleaning with their psychics," she paused to sigh, "Some of them were my close friends; they're not the same anymore--nobody was after Blood. Anyway, I decided to strike out solo--see if I could do it. But I didn't really want to head back into thugging and looting; I'd had enough of that under Blood.

"That's when I got this crazy idea to try out for a mercenary position again. But to do that, I'd need a jump-start. You don't just _become_ a mercenary--there's a process. I don't have the funds to do that, so I needed something to hold me over. I figured if I found a vigilante team that could take me on until I got on my feet, it would eliminate most of my problems. They have sponsors and that'd take care of most of my problems. Then I could help them out every now and then 'til I could strike out on my own."

Judge Rendalton nodded. It was a sound theory, more or less the same thing the written proposal dictated. She still hadn't told him anything, yet. He continued to press her.

"And you have such a team in mind?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah... the Titans. They're local, they have good publicity, and their sponsors are pretty healthy judging by the tech they have."

The judge nodded rubbing his small beard, "All good considerations. However, if you were to receive probation, I would prefer that you have a means of supporting yourself instead of relying upon any sponsor. If I grant you this probation, it will be on the provision that you find a legitimate job."

Kamala paused to consider that. It hadn't really crossed her mind. Things like that just didn't _happen_.

"I can... try. I mean, there are no good sentiments for Metahumans. They get screened and scrutinized about as bad as people on the Sex Offender List. I'll look around, but... What if I can't find anything?"

"If you're having trouble, then contact your probation officer and we'll see about some sort of placement program. A court order goes a long way, after all," Rendalton said with a slight smirk. "Now, business matters aside... were there any personal reasons that drove you to make this proposal?"

Kammie stiffened, '_He knows something..._'

"How do you mean?"

The man made a vague gesture with his hand, "Everything we have discussed so far has dealt with your goals, your occupation, what does this mean for you personally? Is there anything else that made you choose this path?"

'_Damnit, he_ knows_! How did he--the _trial_! Shit, what'd I say yesterday?_'

Her pupils contracted and her frame rigid, she tried to think of how he was going to screw her over on this. Gripping the frame of the chair so tightly that the leather on the armrests squeaked, the hex-caster's mind raced furiously. What did he want? He had to want something or he wouldn't be trying to worm it out of her. He already knew; he was just using that information to dangle her little dream over her head like a carrot in front of a mule!

"...You're blackmailing me."

He started and appeared flustered, "E-excuse me?"

She stared grimly at him, "I know what you want me to say. Fine--I like her... I _want_ her. You're not gonna hand over this _dream_ of probation and community service to someone like _me_. It's too good to be true. ...So name your price."

Rendalton sat back, taking in this unflinching, pink-haired girl... so used to the manipulation and the mind-games that it had irrevocably warped her worldview. She saw deception and strings attached to everything. Nothing came free and you had to fight for every scrap of life you wanted to keep. The man had seen the mentality many times over the years... sometimes in hardened criminals, sometimes in bums.

Too young. That was the problem, these days. Kids like her, just starting their lives, were already in the deep end trying to keep their head above the water. Once they headed down the wrong path, it was usually a slippery slope all the way to the bottom.

"Kamala, I sit in a position that places higher standards upon me... I follow a set of beliefs that I swore to uphold almost 15 years ago. I'd like to think I've done a fair job of it so far. I know you have probably heard this many times before, but you _can_ trust me. I've no ulterior motives, just my beliefs... Everyone _deserves_ a fair shake at the world, but not many people get one. It's an unpleasant fact that parades itself through my courtroom every day.

"You are the one that made this decision. _You_ wanted to change your life. I'm giving you a chance to do that--but you'll have to trust me to get it. _That's_ my price, Kamala. If you can _trust_ me, I will do everything within my power to see you get the chance to take your life by the reins. Can you do that?"

The villainess was quiet for nearly a minute as she mulled it over. She couldn't tell if he was lying to cover his machinations or telling the truth. In the end, it didn't matter. Her jaw set and she nodded slowly.

"...Yeah, I can do that."

Judge Rendalton smiled widely, leaned forward, and picked up a pen from his desk, "Then I'm going to sign this paper... and I'm going to appoint Raven Roth of the Titans as your probation officer. See you keep to our agreement and look for employment. If you'll sign this sheet, you can be on your way..."

Kamala opened her mouth, but no sound came out. No way. No _way_. Things didn't really happen this way, did they? Not in her life! Still, some part of her not in blatant shock was doing cartwheels inside her head. Treating the paper almost as if it were made of glass, she picked it up and scanned the agreement. Turning the page, she finished off the fine print and glanced up at the proffered pen.

She took it up and signed.

* * *

Free to roam the Tower--well, most of it--on the provision that she did not (Robin repeated, did _not_) tamper with anything, she would be given time to find herself a job and, when she could afford it, a place to live. Her room was plain, but she was used to not having many amenities. When she had vacated her previous apartment, she gathered all her possessions into one bag. HAEYP's survival training combined with her personal experiences dictated that anything she couldn't carry in a single pack--while running--was not necessary.

Kamala had an account, but she was reluctant to access it should the Titans trace it and freeze the stolen assets. Those funds were extremely important and were not for use. She had always refrained from withdrawing from it unless there was an absolute emergency. Luckily, she had not come across such an emergency.

So here she was, in her new room with her backpack and without a dime to her name. The sorceress had been in worse positions. She went about unpacking her items. The diary went on the nightstand. The meditation table went in the center of the room. Her clothes she hung in the closet. The perfume rested on the dresser and her toiletries in the bathroom. The large, blank spaces between these items only impressed upon her how minimalist her lifestyle was, but it didn't bother her. The hex-caster would rather have a few permanent possessions than many possessions that she could lose or forget.

Half the day had been spent using the Titan computer to seek jobs. She had the equivalent of a high school graduate education. Headmistress never gave her a HAEYP diploma, but she had documentation of attendance and graduation. Nobody needed to know that 'HIVE Academy' was an extra-humanoid training facility.

Unfortunately, most of the jobs had a minimum of some kind of college degree. Unless she wanted to deal with fast food--impossible because dealing with beef was against her religion--she was looking at janitorial services or gofer work. Neither of which would get her sufficient income.

Worse, she had a record. Granted, it was a vague record since HIVE always did what it could to keep their own off the official records. However, she had chosen to go straight and narrow; that meant no tampering with police records. Kammie submitted various electronic applications, nonetheless. Who knows? Maybe she'd get lucky. Kamala had also printed out a list of sites she would need to visit over the next few weeks.

* * *

Victor remained silent as he drove the seething girl back to Titans Tower. The fourth day of job questing had gone much like the previous three days. Those three days had gone about as smoothly as a tornado through a trailer park. Upon sighting her, nobody would admit there were any positions open for the obvious Metahuman... even though there were 'help wanted' signs in the windows. Several had outright demanded she leave the store before she 'frightened the customers.'

The tension was so thick it could strangle as the mostly-metal man rode up the elevator with Kamala. The second the doors opened, the sorceress stomped across the common room. Richard looked away from the computer briefly, but refrained from asking how things went.

"Hey, Jinx, you know-" Vic began, reaching out for her shoulder.

A sizable arc of energy zapped the three-inch space to his approaching hand. With an electrical fizzle and spark of coral hex energy, it blew his hand back before it could touch her.

"Whoa!"

Kammie stopped, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. Her magic was charged and humming inside her body. It took an effort to calm it down when her nerves were utterly shot. Turning around, she wiped away the scowl on her face. Still, she couldn't keep the frustration from her voice.

"Sorry, I'm a bit worked up. I _know_ they're just being ignorant, you've been telling me that _every_ day. I'll find something; I just-... I just need time. Something will come up eventually.

"Look, I'm gonna... take a nap or something. Wake me for dinner?"

Vic nodded and watched her head out of the common room and into the hallway.

* * *

The bed had been stripped. The pillows were wedged in the farthest corner of the room away from the window and doorway. This solitary corner had her blankets folded over several times; these piled squares acted as padding. The comforter lay in slight disarray, where she had wrapped up herself last night.

Sitting down heavily, she rested herself comfortably against the corner. Nobody could come up behind her and she could see every door--bathroom and closet included--and exit from the immediate area. Kamala was safe here... on an island, in a fortress-like tower, in a dark room, in a corner. Nothing reassured her more than sturdy walls and a floor...

Slowly, she felt the tension leave her and she fell almost immediately asleep. Sometimes it was necessary to fall asleep fast to grab every minute of rest possible. Who knew when she might have to get up and run? Who knew how long it would be until her next rest? These were lessons learned a long time ago, but never forgotten. It wasn't an easy talent to acquire...

For now, this was her sanctuary and it provided her a place where her troubles could not follow. Within this room, she Kamala was free to be herself without fear.

* * *

Raven floated down the hallway like a wraith. It wasn't something she consciously did. When she felt like walking, she did. When she didn't... she floated. It was a quarter 'til six and Kamala wanted to be up for dinner. Landing softly, she knocked on the door.

There was a commotion inside as Kamala's head jerked up in surprise--she hadn't heard anyone walking down the hallway. Her head thumped the wall behind her; even with the pillow between her head and the corner, it still smarted. The knock came again and she bolted to her feet; almost immediately entangled in the comforter, the sorceress toppled herself to the floor. Wind noisily whisked out of her in a loud grunt. She winced at the pain in her chest and stomach--the fall had not been graceful or kind. At least she didn't bang her head again...

"Jinx?" Raven asked, hearing the noise and sensing the other girl's shock and discomfort.

More sounds of struggling came as the pink-haired girl disengaged herself from the comforter with several curses at the thing. Finally, she kicked the offending material from around her ankles and approached the door.

Resisting the urge to phase through the door, she asked again, "Kamala, is everything okay?"

Almost before she was finished speaking, the door slid open and the hex-caster stood with a nervous grin on her face. She appeared fine, but her accelerated heartbeat and dilated pupils said otherwise.

"Yeah, I just... got caught up in the covers. I'm good. Is it time for dinner?"

Raven nodded and, as the HIVE Five member moved out, she glanced inside before the door was shut. There were no covers on the bed. The demi-Demon filed this away for later. Dinner was a quiet affair--at last on their part. Everyone else, including Richard, seemed utterly oblivious to her inner turmoil over Kamala. She could feel the last few days of stress weighing on the other girl's mind. It wasn't her place to comment on it, but Raven decided that if it went on any longer, she would at least offer a listening ear.

* * *

That night, as with others, the Tower went into its security mode and the Titans retired for however much sleep they could get before either their leader or an alarm dragged them out of bed. In her pink tank top and black boy shorts, Kammie pulled her knees to her chest and set her head upon them. Within three minutes, she had fallen asleep.

Even so, her senses were on high alert. The slightest change in her environment would have awoken her. She had heard Robin approaching the infirmary, and currently listened to the other Titans close their doors before dozing off herself. That she did not hear Raven when the mystic Titan retrieved her for dinner had bothered her, but she put it down as stress tiring her out more than usual.

In her dreams, she floated in an inky darkness. She was not afraid. The sorceress didn't really feel _anything_. The girl just _was_. It was in this peaceful and simple existence that she slept best. Generally, Kamala was aware when she dreamed; years of mental exercises and meditation had honed her conscious and subconscious.

Then she felt something, another presence... inside her!

* * *

Having changed into her soft, blue-bordering-on-black pajamas, Raven sat in the middle of her bed pondering the oddness of the evening. Had Kamala lied to her? If so, why? As receptive as she had been to the pink-haired hex-caster recently, she would have noticed it. So not a lie... And yet, there were no covers on the bed--it had been stripped down to the mattress. Cautiously, she projected her awareness toward the spare room they had provided sorceress.

Upon sensing the other girl, Raven found her asleep. She touched lightly on the fringes of Kammie's mind for only a second, but the response was immediate.

'_Get out of my mind!_' every fiber of Kamala's mind shrieked.

An instant later, a wave of terror swept through the tower and buffeted her like a physical blow, knocking her over from her lotus position. After she sat up and regained her wits, the demi-Demon teleported to the hex-caster's room. She sought out Kamala, but found the bed empty.

Raven had expected to hear a scream, but somehow this terrified silence was somehow more disturbing. Turning slightly, she saw a figure huddled in the corner. With a gesture, the lamp on the nightstand turned on.

The lamp's soft light revealed Kamala. She had the comforter pulled about her tightly, held in a white-knuckle grip. The girl shivered like some rat trapped by a tiger, breaths coming in soundless, staccato bursts. Of the fuchsia irises, there was no sign--the pupils dominated right up to the sclera, but the eyes stared unseeingly.

The violet-haired girl moved over, kneeling down to the horrified hex-caster. She kissed her forehead and held her as best she could; tried to comfort the frightened girl. It wasn't something she'd ever done. Raven merely emulated what she had read in books and seen in her rare stints spent watching television.

Several minutes later, the demi-Demon managed to break through the girl's fear enough for Kammie to notice her. Wide, terrified stared at her and uttered a single word.

"Blood."

Raven gently contradicted, "No, you're fine. You were asleep-"

Kamala viciously shook her head, "Brother Blood."

After a few stunned seconds, Raven blinked. Putting a finger under Kamala's chin, she lifted it gently so their eyes could meet. She leaned forward until their foreheads met and she whispered.

"Kamala... Brother Blood was lobotomized, remember? He managed to escape and wound up on the wrong side of Deathstroke. Slade seared his brain with a laser before we made it to the warehouse where they were fighting..."

The pink-haired girl whimpered, "I _felt_ it! He touched my mind again!"

Clarity washed over Raven like ice water.

"Oh, Azar... I'm so sorry--that was _me_, Kamala. I wanted to check on you, so I just felt out... I didn't think; I'm sorry."

She tenderly brushed her mind out against Kamala's again, sharing her thoughts and feelings with the girl. Accompanying it was a calming wave of benevolence. '_It was me. See? I'm sorry I frightened you. It's okay..._'

"...It was you?"

'_Yes, it was me. It's okay. Blood's gone; and even if he wasn't, I would never let him do anything to you again. I promise._'

She kissed Kamala, trying to comfort and sooth the poor girl's fears. It took a few moments, but her Jinx slowly began to respond. Soon, the nightmarish horrors had disappeared and the pink-haired hex-caster began to relax. When Raven pulled away, she sat back on the corner of the sheet-made padding.

"How long have you been sleeping here?"

Her adrenaline slowly ebbing away, Kammie felt a wave of fatigue sweep through her powerfully. She yawned. Her expression was quizzical.

"I've been here less than a week..."

"I mean the corner--is there something wrong with the bed?" the mystic Titan asked. If there were a problem with the bed, someone would have fixed it if only the girl had asked.

Shaking her head, the HIVE Five member scrunched up her face at the mattress.

"I haven't used a bed since... hn, since I was _ten_. I can't sleep on them, anymore. Sometimes I try, but they just don't _feel_ right."

Raven was quiet for a moment, then gently uncurled Kamala's fingers from the comforter. Pulling the thick cover away, she took the other girl's hands and stood, urging Kamala to do the same. Curiously, the pink-haired sorceress did so, then tensed as Raven wrapped them in her energy and teleported them.

In Raven's room, they appeared standing upon the bed. Kammie only took a moment to ascertain where they were.

"Raven, what-"

"Sh," the demi-Demon said, pressing the hex-caster's shoulders down.

Kamala knelt on the bed with Raven, and hesitantly leaned back when the violet-haired teen persisted. This didn't feel right... it was too soft and she felt like she was _sinking_. She immediately pulled in on herself, not liking the sensation of the satin sheets and silk pillowcases cushioning her. It didn't have the reassurance sturdy walls and a floor had.

With Raven's arm under her head, she let the other girl maneuver her to her side. Even though taller than the violet-haired girl, her instinctive, curled position allowed Raven to wrap around her perfectly. From behind Kamala, Raven's arm slid around her stomach and pulled her back until she was flush against the demi-Demon. She could feel the warmth of the body embracing hers, holding her tenderly and protectively. It was _much_ better than sturdy walls and a floor.

'_Go to sleep now, Jinx._'

* * *

**_Step 10: Play With It_**

The next morning saw Kamala drowsily becoming aware of the all-encompassing warmth the like she had never known. Purring quietly, she snuggled into the source of it. Raven nuzzled the back of her neck, but was otherwise quiet. Neither felt like moving but both knew the day had started.

''_Morning,_' a soft voice purred inside her head.

Unused to any form of mental communication, the pink-haired sleepyhead yawned and thought in Raven's direction. This thing could come in handy, if it worked. It was different from Blood's mind control and brainwashing. Raven simply sat on the fringes of her thoughts--like a little presence or a song stuck in her head that she didn't mind having.

'_Have you been up long?_' Kamala 'thought out.'

The demi-Demon was not scanning the girl; she felt the thoughts sliding about inside Kammie's head, but made no move to investigate them. It would have been an invasion of privacy. The projected thoughts, however, came easily to the surface and sort of... breezed into her awareness. It wasn't bad at all for a non-telepath.

'_A couple hours, but you were asleep... and you were warm,_' Raven sent, well aware that the hex-caster would have awoken the moment she tried to move away.

Turning around until Raven's arms were around her back, Kamala pressed in closer and kissed the violet-haired girl. They lay there for nearly half an hour, just enjoying the building intimacy between them. The heroine sighed and let the feelings the ex-villainess was projecting wash over her. Their hands traced idle trails over skin and cloth, bringing shivers and sighs between them. Raven knew they should probably stop, but the act of being _close_ to someone... something she had craved since her earliest days, put her conscience aside.

Kamala was kissing down her neck--again, and she made a noise. She wasn't sure what, because she forgot about it the moment she made it. The pink-haired girl's hand smoothly ran up her hip and under her pajama top. The demi-Demon's eyes opened and she blinked. This might be going a bit far for-

A knock at the door.

"Raven. Training in twenty," Richard's muffled voice informed through the barrier.

'_Fuck..._'

Kammie's hand stopped. Moving back, she stared at the mystic Titan as though she had grown a tail out of her head.

"Did... did you just _curse_?" she asked in a scandalized voice. She had never heard Raven use profanity.

"No."

Before the hex-caster could call her on it, Raven gave her a parting kiss, scooted to the edge of the bed, and entered her bathroom.

* * *

Robin moved down the hall toward the unused quarters and guest rooms. He stopped in front of the room they gave to the ex-villainess for temporary occupation. Jinx should have been up by now. Friday wasn't different from any other day of the week when it came to job seeking. He knocked on the door, but received no response. Frowning, the Boy Wonder knocked again.

"Jinx, it's time to get up."

The answer from _outside_ her room and behind the Titans leader made him jerk in surprise.

"Thanks, Chief. I'll be out in a moment."

He stared at the hex-caster as she passed him to slide open her door and walk _inside_ the room.

"How did you-"

"Infinite Improbability Drive," she replied and then shut the door behind her.

Outside Kamala's room, Robin stood with a frown on his face. He stared at the door for several more moments before giving up on the entire train of thought. The answer might be hazardous to his health--mental, physical, or both. Sometimes it was better just to _not know_...

* * *

As Raven finished drying her hair, she took a brush to it while standing in front of her mirror. Now that the violet locks were actually long enough that they required maintenance, she cursed that there was no spell in any of her tomes that prevented such necessary evils. During one such stroke, she caught sight of a small bit of red-violet that was most definitely _not_ her hair. It was on the side of her neck.

Leaning closer to the mirror, she rubbed a thumb over it. It was a... bruise. Realization dawned and she sighed in exasperation.

"..._Jinx_."

* * *

Practice had been alternately invigorating and frustrating. Everything had been going fine until Robin had somehow managed to get in close. Not many were aware of it, but Raven was capable of melee. It was nowhere near as refined as Robin's extensive training, the Tamaranean military battle tactics used by Starfire, or even Jinx's prowess with her amalgam of mixed martial arts. However, there was something to be said about her heritage--by her very nature, she was brutal and savage... she just chose not to show it. It made her uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Robin was having none of it.

"Raven, I'm trying to help you improve your hand-to-hand skills. If you keep holding back, I can't see what we need to focus on."

She calmly ducked a swing from his staff; when he followed with a side kick toward her head, a back flip moved her out of its range. That imperturbable lack of expression as she stared back at him only made the Boy Wonder more determined.

"What you are suggesting is extremely dangerous, Robin. Let's just stick to this and show me what I need to-"

The Titans leader rushed her, pole-vaulting and ripping through the air with a flying kick that she sidestepped. The moment he landed, he was swinging out the staff in a sweep she easily jumped, only to find him lunging at her with a punch. He knew she was no match for him without her powers and he was pushing that point now. The Boy Wonder fully expected to have to pull his punch at the last moment--thus proving the validity of his argument.

He didn't expect the speed with which she responded. Before he fully understood what was happening, she had him by the wrist and he was airborne. Robin careened through the air, single-handedly tossed with a strength that belied Raven's figure. He managed to twist and land in a crouch. A frown marred his face.

She was vaguely aware of the others halting their practice to watch the unfolding fight. When things heated up between the spiky-haired teen and their resident mystic, it was always a show to remember. Ignoring the attention, the demi-Demon sank down, hunching her posture.

"Very well, if this will make you see reason..."

Upper eyes slowly revealed themselves, the slit-like orbs blazing red. Then she was charging him. She had covered half the distance to him by the time he recovered from a startled twitch. He barely managed to block a backhand swipe aimed at head level with his staff, but skidded a few feet to the side with the force of the blow. The metal pole vibrated in his clutches and made his hands tingle.

Then she lunged for him with all the grace of a pouncing leopard. The spiky-haired teen sidestepped her leap; with her back to him, he thought to capitalize upon her position. With both hands on the staff like a major league heavy-hitter, the Titans leader whipped the staff out to catch her ribs. Halfway turning, Raven caught the pole in her right hand and held it in an unyielding grip. Robin's brows rose.

When she yanked on it, he let go lest she pull him to her. He had another he could pull if necessary. Taking the staff in both hands, she bent the weapon until it groaned in protest... and then abruptly snapped. Tossing the halves aside, the violet-haired girl advanced upon him like a stalking predator. She snarled and growled at him, the sound rolling through the room like distant thunder. Her shoulders remained hunched and her arms dangled idly, but menacingly. Raven's fingers had curled into hooks, flexing repeatedly as though trying to extend claws she didn't have.

Another low growl left her as Robin slowly circled her, keeping her at an equal distance rather than let her prowl over him. He knew that Raven had some Demonic features, but she had never exercised them in their training. Nothing she did spoke of finesse or restraint--just raw, feral intent. The Boy Wonder was nothing if not versatile, though, and his fights with Beast Boy were sometimes similar to this...

He decided to go on the offensive, leaping in with another flying kick. All he needed to do was take her out of her stance and he could unbalance her. Unfortunately, Raven did not dodge--she _attacked_! Throttling forward to meet him, she used her superior speed to snag Robin's ankle and haul him toward her. Once again, she pounced. Her free hand clutched his shoulder and she bore him to the ground.

Robin slammed to the ground and felt the air leave his lungs. The next things he became aware of were the four, sharp points lightly pricking at his neck. He froze, careful not to give her incentive to bite or force himself into the fangs. Raven's growl was warning, just barely restrained.

"Raven! Stop it," the voice shot across the training area like a bullet.

'_Kamala,_' the name flitted through her mind.

Immediately, her head jerked up and away, ruby eyes blinking anxiously. Jinx stood at the door, arms crossed and frowning. The pink-haired girl's presence oddly tamed the Demonic mentality that currently drove the mystic Titan. Slowly, her eyes lost their crimson glow and closed. There was an indefinable shift in her face and one pair of violet eyes opened.

The violet-haired demi-Demon frowned down at the young man she had pinned. She pulled him up a few inches by her grip on his shoulder and thumped him back to the ground, "_Don't_ do that again."

"Raven," Jinx softly said again as she approached. The pink-haired hex-caster held out her hand.

Moving off Robin, Raven turned away and took the ex-villainess' hand, "I need another shower..."

With the exodus of the two girls, the room was silent for all of four seconds.

"Dude, she kicked your ass all the way to Gotham and Fed-Exed it back to you!"

The Titans leader shot the Beast Boy a glare until the green teen withered slightly. Shaking off the effects of the short but intense spar, he sat up. A small smirk crossed his face despite his slightly wounded pride.

'_Sometimes you get what you ask for..._'

* * *

When Raven came out of her room, she was dressed casually. The mystic Titan wore a blue, hooded jacket over a black tee shirt. The shirt had been a gift from Beast Boy on her last birthday; it said 'Sarcasm... just one of the services I offer.' A pair of black jeans and midnight blue sneakers completed her wardrobe. She was supposed to go with Kamala on the zany girl's crazy job hunt. Unsurprisingly Richard was waiting for her outside the door.

She took the initiative, "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I went too far."

The spiky-haired teen shook his head, "You warned me. I should have known better--and I could have asked."

"I'm not completely Human. Sometimes it's easy for people to forget..."

"Hey, it's no problem. Really. Let's just put it behind us. I do have one question, though," he said speculatively.

Raven _almost_ winced, "Yes?"

"Do you have to... 'change' to do what you did earlier?"

The violet-haired girl shook her head, "My current form is still different from yours, but I'm careful to moderate myself--I don't want to break someone's arm when I grab them or something. When I slide toward my more Demonic states, the differences become more visible... It just happens more often when I'm angry."

Richard nodded as if he expected that, "I've ironed out this same issue with Kori, Gar, and Vic; I kind of have a handle on it by now. Now that I know what to expect, we can work something out--if you're willing to explore it."

She hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. Well, that went better than she'd expected. Richard had been less impulsive lately, more relaxed and accepting when tense situations arose. Kori might have had something to do with it... Regardless, it was a good change. As she turned to head to the common room to meet Kamala, the Boy Wonder stopped her again.

"Do you have a choker or anything like that?"

She turned back to look at him in bafflement.

"Just... might want something to cover your neck."

Raven's hand shot up to cover the love bite Kamala left earlier in the morning. Eyes wide and face flaming, she fled back into her room.

* * *

While Kamala and the HIVE Five were infamous among the law enforcement, HIVE was very efficient in keeping their agents out of the spotlight. It was for this reason that the two were able to walk down the street without any major attention. Raven's new hairstyle hadn't received enough exposure for people to recognize her immediately. By the time anyone thought to look twice, the pair had disappeared into the mass of people on the sidewalks.

Raven let Kammie lead her about by the hand, stopping here and there to see if anyone was hiring. Several times, the Titan had the impression that the only reason the ex-villainess didn't deck the managers was because the pink-haired girl was holding her hand with a vicious tenacity. If she were as fragile as a Human was, Kamala might have broken her fingers.

The demi-Demon understood the sudden elevation in the girl's tension over the past few days, now. A week of this and Robin would have been peeling one of these fools off the ceiling after she went 'Daughter of Trigon' on them. Still, as Kamala's probation officer, she could definitively say that the hex-caster was making every possible effort. They ran the gamut of stores and positions. Neither the deplorable position as sales clerk at Hot Topic nor the ungrateful dockworker position at a furniture store was hiring the likes of an obvious Metahuman.

They broke for lunch at a small Italian restaurant and then--bodies refueled and nerves assuaged--prepared to take on another run through the gauntlet. The next stop was a small bookstore. Her chances for any _good_ jobs weren't great... By now, Kamala was just hoping to move out of the unemployed status--never mind the income. They stood in front of the checkout desk. When the owner of the bookshop turned around, things immediately took a turn for the worst. The owner of the establishment--a stubborn, middle-aged woman in a bland, cornflower-blue dress--glared at them from behind her glasses and suddenly verbally accosted them. Tuning out the beginning of the harassment, the sorceress focused on the woman's hair; it was up in a severe bun like the HAEYP Headmistress, but Kamala discerned that the woman had none of the _class_ that the Headmistress did.

Raven could feel the zephyr of hate pounding against her senses. The holy-roller storeowner seemed half a moment away from reciting Revelations. The demi-Demon felt her vision narrowing, the world slowly closing in until the only thing she could see was the self-righteous bitch. Forcing back hunter-vision and the urge to slap the overbearing owner, she made an effort not to let the woman's emotions affect her.

"-can't believe they let you out wearing what you do. Your clothes cling to you inappropriately! If you want to dress like a woman of the streets, do it elsewhere-"

The violet-haired teen's eye developed a tic, "_Excuse me_... did you just call my girlfriend a whore?"

The growl at the end of the last word continued long past the last syllable and gave the woman pause... but not for long. After adjusting her glasses, the owner went back into full rant. Raven could feel Kamala's anxiety rising. This was not a good situation, she realized; as the one on probation, Kammie had no means of striking back at the woman without somehow vilifying herself. It wouldn't help her at all if it somehow got back to the judge. The more the woman talked, the angrier the demi-Demon became. This was happening too much since the trial. Was there some deity that took a particular dislike to her this month?

"I've no time for disrespectful teens with their distasteful clothing and unnatural, dyed hair! It's not proper. You look downright Demonic--you ought to be ashamed of yourselves-"

Feeling particularly vindictive already, this was the last straw. Raven's voice rose up and above the bigoted, sanctimonious rant, "Do you have the _slightest_ clue what you're talking about? Have you ever seen a Demon? If you had, you would have known that most of them are amorphous when they chose to be. The _only_ thing that would distinguish one of them from _any_ of your daily customers... is their aura. It takes training to sense an aura. ...You could be in the presence of a Demon right now and you wouldn't know it."

A hard glint entered the bookstore owner's eyes. Her face turned red as she washed over with priggish rage, "You're in one o' them cults, aren't ya? Well, you can just take your Satan-worshipping-"

"Trigon."

"What?"

"There was once a cult that owed its allegiance to Trigon the Terrible. Satan is, in my opinion, less of a threat. Take a fallen Angel and add a little jealousy mixed with a desire for revenge and you have a one-way ticket to an apocalyptic holy war. He obviously isn't interested in wholesale destruction; there would be nothing left for him to rule if he won.

"That's not the case with Trigon. He didn't have any issues with the Powers That Be. Trigon the Terrible was an interdimensional Demon that just _ripped_ through the dimensional boundaries and subjugated the masses, either turning them into his disposable slaves or completely cleansing the worlds of all life. He reduced entire _Realms_ to so much blood-soaked ash and molten slag with no respect for any deity or higher authority. Lucifer wouldn't _dare_ make such a move.

"Thankfully, you don't have to worry about the likes of _him_. Trigon is dead. His daughter killed him. You should be _grateful_ to her--and grateful that she doesn't lose her temper as easily as her father."

Carefully, she let her anger-suffused aura bleed out, tainting the atmosphere with a doubt-filling miasma. Demonic auras always had an interesting effect on the average mortal. While the woman could not detect it, the aura had the desired result of making her ill at ease; the bookstore owner backed up a step. The lights flickered and went out, leaving the three in the dark; the only light came through the door and windows at the front of the store. The speakers about the store suddenly ceased their soft gospel music, the silence deafening with its absence.

She wasn't truly losing hold of herself, but she let her second tier of eyes open and the quadruple red eyes pinned the woman with a soul-penetrating glare. Even though shorter than the storeowner, Raven's presence easily dominated. Her voice rang out in dual tones.

"**Be _very_ grateful.**"

The over-pious woman stumbled back and quite nearly fainted. As it was, bookstore owner hyperventilated; the whites of her eyes clearly visible.

"**Come, Kamala. We are leaving this cesspool of idiocy.**"

The two departed the store. Outside, Raven dispelled her secondary, doom-ridden oculars. Beside her, Kamala cackled.

"That... was _so totally wicked_!"

Shrugging lightly, she took the hex-caster's hand and pulled her further away from the God-mongering woman's store, "...Just don't tell Robin I did that."

* * *

That earlier episode had brightened Kamala's otherwise miserable day. The two were now walking aimlessly down the sidewalks, taking notice of this and that in the windows, but not stopping. For now, the job seeking was all but abandoned unless something really jumped out at the pink-haired girl.

The light conversation they shared suddenly drifted as something caught Kammie's eye. Pulling Raven across the street, she entered the store and inhaled the scent of herbs and incense. A smile lit her face as she looked around. It was a cultural store run by an Indian family. Almost immediately, she was drawn to a table where a large, string instrument sat alone as if placed with a reverence. The ex-villainess trailed a finger over the smooth wood.

The father of the family--and primary owner of the shop--came over. He looked to be around 40, but the years had been kind to him. He was dressed in dark brown pants and a white, button-up shirt. His black hair was just starting to lighten around his sideburns.

"This is not a guitar, young lady, please be careful."

"I know; it's a beautiful sitar. I'd give it a wonderful home if I could afford it," Kamala said wistfully, nudging the price card on the table next to the sitar.

"Instruments are to be played, not hung on walls as decoration," the man said.

"_Then perhaps we should play something,_" she replied in Hindi.

The man's brows rose. He generally catered to the small Indian population and he wasn't expecting the pale, gothic girl to be one of them. Looking beyond her eyes and skin, he could see some resemblance to his daughter, who was helping his wife with the inventory at the time.

Kamala gently lifted the instrument and took it over to a group of drum-like instruments. Sitting down by them on the carpets laid out as padding, she plucked the sitar a few times with the mezrab. It was in perfect tune. Curiously, Raven followed. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she didn't want anything bad to happen.

"_Carefully, carefully,_" he said in his native tongue, not wanting the young woman to mishandle the sitar.

Raven noticed that Kamala, sitting there on the rugs with the instrument between her left foot and right knee, looked so content and relaxed while she admired the sound the strings made. The feeling of _home_ emanated from her mind and the mystic Titan could feel the nostalgia and longing.

The sound of the string instrument brought the man's son, who appeared to be in his early twenties, and a few customers to see this oddity. It certainly was a sight--some pale girl with punk-styled pink hair holding an instrument of traditional music. When she began to play, however, any misconceptions were put aside.

After several bars of some memorized melody to become reacquaint herself with the old friend, Kamala grinned and closed her eyes. Suddenly, the air was with a high-pitched series of plucks that reminded her of metallic jingling... maybe dropped keys, loose change, or something. The sound continued for only a bit before the main tune began in a low base resonance.

By now, the daughter and mother of the family-run store had come out to see who was playing. The daughter couldn't have been more than 12 years old. There were some eight people and Raven standing there. Two bars in, Raven and the son were smirking. The unpredictable young woman was playing _Money_ by Pink Floyd.

Her left fingers deftly slid over the strings while her right hand rested at the based and flicked rapidly at the strings. Surprisingly, the sound of hollow percussion instruments joined in the song, providing a rhythm to her melody. Glancing behind her, the sorceress saw the son of the storeowner had taken up the tabla. He nodded to her. They played relaxed and smoothly, the song flowing out and catching the people in its hypnotic repetition.

"-but if you ask for a rise; it's no surprise; that they're giving; none away... away... away... away..."

The pink-haired young woman's voice was strong enough not to be drowned out by the instruments, but still soft in tone as she recited the lyrics with a fluidity that had the small group entranced as much as her plucking. After some six minutes, the song ended and the small group treated Kamala to a small round of applause. She nodded her thanks.

As the last note faded, she began another tune without missing a beat--this one was much shorter. The song's tone began low, rose up, and fell... and then again. Finally, the song began in earnest; it sounded a little strange with the string instrument replacing the usual saxophone. Still, Kammie had a savvy jazz sense and the sitar was more than a fair substitute. The new song had the usually stoic Raven grinning. It was the _Pink Panther_ theme.

'_Only Jinx..._'

The family could not afford to hire the pink-haired hex-caster, even if they had been inclined to do so. Still, it was the most amicable turn-away she'd had and the impromptu performance made up for it. She spoke shortly with the family and found that they had moved here when their son was eight. Ultimately, Kamala decided to keep this little place in mind when she could afford things.

While able to write Sanskrit, Raven did not speak Hindi or write Devanagari script. The violet-haired teen idled about the store and retrieved some incense to purchase before they left. When the mystic Titan saw Kamala eying a murti of Vishnu, she waited until the girl had moved off to look at something else to pick up the figurine and take her items to the register. She left with the small, paper bag.

Kamala didn't find a job, but both teens felt the day was well spent. They walked back toward the Tower since neither was in a rush to head back; along the way, the sorceress grinned and repeatedly glanced at Raven. Finally, the violet-haired girl cracked.

"_What_?"

The pink-haired girl's grin widened, "Back at that bookshop... you said I was your _girlfriend_...!"

The demi-Demon blinked, mentally reviewing just what she had said since she had been a little too annoyed to think about it. ...Yes, she had said that. It was just a reflex, really. A small smile quirked at her lips and she grabbed Kamala's hand.

"Imagine that."

* * *

When they returned home around 5:30, they wore smiles. Kamala was laughing and Raven chuckled gently with her as they quietly discussed music and exchanged a few jokes at the bookstore owner's expense. Richard watched them come in and fall onto the couch. Gar briefly looked over from the wall-sized screen to the quietly murmuring pair, but navigating the Vampire Kain through the Sarafan Stronghold in the last game of the Legacy of Kain series swiftly recaptured his attention.

"I have something for you," said Raven.

"Oh?"

Reaching into her bag from the Indian store, she retrieved the murti. She held it out to the pink-haired girl. The mystic Titan hoped that it was the right one; she would feel rather stupid if this wasn't the murti the pink-haired girl admired earlier.

Eyes wide, Kamala reverently accepted the five-inch figurine of the four-armed, blue-skinned man sitting majestically upon a purple cushion. After a few moments of admiration, she set the murti on the coffee table with the utmost care, turned, and pulled Raven to her. The kiss was chaste by most standards, but the emotions rolling off her into the demi-Demon's mind were almost numbingly blissful. It was a small thing, the present in and of itself, but what it meant to Kamala was almost immeasurable.

Neither girl could say how long they sat there, pressed together from their lips all the way down to their feet. The embrace was full of a warmth and closeness that had nothing to do with their bodies. At the sound of a cleared throat, they slowly and reluctantly broke apart. A blushing Gar stood behind the couch, his eyes focused everywhere but upon them.

"Uhm," his voice cracked, "dinner's ready..."

* * *

After dinner, the sorceress and mystic Titan sat down on the couch. The game had caught their eye; the dialogue interested Raven. Gar went to explain that this sort of game was outside his typical sphere of interest, but he was fond of it nonetheless. The immense history and plot twists had sucked him in. The dialogue, though massive in its presence throughout the games, provided a backdrop as good as any movie he'd ever seen.

Gar told them how he first picked up the series because of the "cool-looking dude" on the front of the Soul Reaver box. From there, he brought it home and was quickly sucked into the amazing world. The green teen admitted that some of the dialogue was above his ability to comprehend (he _didn't_ admit to playing with a dictionary sitting next to him). The shape-shifter enjoyed the games for what they were: an interactive story.

When Gar finished explaining the history of Nosgoth, Raven's eye had turned to the first game. The green teen told her the graphics weren't anything special in the early games since they were for older consoles, but the story was gigantic and allowed him to ignore that. Having put off his dish duty long enough--it was his turn tonight--the shape-shifter left them to it.

Raven wasn't much one for playing videogames... this was an understatement similar to 'the universe is big.' However, she remained interested in the atmospheric music and unfolding plot as the HIVE Five member navigated Kain through the areas in Blood Omen. The game had an immersive lore, intelligent plot, and good voice acting. She was pleasantly surprised. After a few hours, the demi-Demon's head was resting in the hex-caster's lap while Kammie went through various rooms and corridors in the rambling death trap that was Nupraptor's Keep. After she had slain Nupraptor the Mentalist, the ex-villainess saved her game and sat back. It was a quarter past midnight.

Kammie picked up the remote and began flicking through channels rapidly. After several flickers of images, Raven snagged the remote out of her hands. Violet eyes glowered at her.

"Slow down. You can't even see what's on the channels."

"It's called channel surfing, that's just how it's _done_."

Rolling her eyes, the demi-Demon quietly flipped through channels, heading steadily upward.

#-this gorgeous, custom-made-# _Click_.

#-genuine, accept no imitators-# _Click_.

#-totally authentic-# _Click_.

#-but only while supplies-# _Click_.

#-are limited-# _Click_.

#-so call now-# _Click_.

#-at our toll free-# _Click_.

_Click_. _Click_. _Click_!

"And that's why we channel surf," said her pillow.

With a grumble, Raven continued changing channels.

#-some restrictions may apply.# _Click_.

#-_Uhn_! Harder-# _Click_.

#You seem familiar... have I threatened you before?# asked _Captain_ Jack Sparrow.

Kamala blinked, "Was that porn?"

"No."

_Click_. #They say most of your brain shuts down in cryo...# rumbled Riddick.

The ex-villainess stole the remote and turned back a couple channels. She began laughing, "It _is_ porn! Titans Tower gets _porn_ channels!"

After ripping the remote out of the zany, pink-haired girl's hands, the demi-Demon sat up from her jovial pillow and stood. She crossed her arms.

"It doesn't matter, Kamala. Just because the Tower has _access_ to channels with pornographic material-"

"Lesbian porn," Kammie interjected, taking in the slick, moaning, adult film starlets.

"Whatever... Just because we get it doesn't mean we watch it."

Reclining on the couch with her head propped up by an elbow in supremely feline fashion, the sorceress looked up at her girlfriend, "You mean to tell me that three guys in a tower with nigh unlimited media resources doesn't scope out the occasional skin-flick?"

The mystic Titan hesitated awkwardly--she couldn't say... and if they _did_, she certainly didn't want to _know_! One of the women on screen let out a groan so blatantly erotic that Raven _had_ to turn around to see what caused it. The frame unrepentantly zoomed in, branding her mind with explicit images that would likely take months to stuff down, knowing her troublesome emotions. She dreaded her next trip into her mindscape...

The door to the common room opened. Raven's head whipped to it to watch in horror as Richard took several steps in before stopping.

"Raven, I heard..."

Even as his sentence trailed off, Raven punched at the power button on the remote to turn off the floor-to-ceiling, wall-sized image of sapphic coupling.

"...Were you watching _porn_?" asked the stunned Boy Wonder.

Suddenly, a mad fit of cackling erupted from the couch. He heard the squealing laughter continue until he could see Kamala's kicking feet over the couch. In her uninhibited mirth, she fell off the cushions with a thump; the hex-caster paused only to let out a graceless '_oof_' before the giggles recommenced from the floor. Richard shook his head.

"Jinx. ...Never mind, that answers all my questions."

So saying, the Titans leader strode out of the common room and went back to bed. Whatever events led to what he'd just seen, he didn't need to know. Besides, he didn't want to stay out too long lest the companion warming his bed decided he wasn't coming back...

* * *

**--END CHAPTER--**

* * *

Wow! There was a bit of everything in here! Happy, sad, aww, action, fun, humor, anger... yeah, I really crammed it in there. Rae's emotions certainly got a workout this chapter, didn't they? Jinx's all but has her Raven in the bag. Or is it in the sack? Hm, well, either way is good!

Hope you enjoyed all the pink playtime. There's two more chapters to go, so review and you'll get the final steps to her plans. I have no words for just how much I'm enjoying the insanity of this little side-trip away from my major work, Chronicle of Darkness. It's a welcome change and it gives me a sense of fulfillment to be able to crank these chapters out and finish the story instead of having to slog through an epic with as-yet undetermined length!

Anyway, see you next chapter!

-Lynx Klaw


	4. 04: Step 11

4

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." -Oscar Wilde

**To Catch a Raven**

By Lynx Klaw

_Chapter 4: Step 11_

**_Step 11: Teach It Tricks_**

Kamala awoke instantly, as usual. However, she allowed herself to linger indolently for several minutes. The weight of an arm draped across her and tucked snugly around her waist was cozying. Small, warm puffs of breath brushed over her neck and merged with the comforting heat of the body behind her. The covers were soft--and light, but she didn't need them for warmth. The mattress cushioned her body and she still wasn't comfortable with the way it seemed to want to devour her. Raven's presence made up for it, though.

'_I could get used to this..._'

Raven was still asleep. She could understand; they were up rather late last night and today was a designated rest period for the Titans--no training, no scheduled meetings. They were always 'on call' for the odd emergency. Reluctantly extricating herself from her girlfriend, she quietly slipped out and back to her room. Gauging the time by her internal clock, which was often more reliable than most digital or analog pieces, she had half an hour until sunrise. The five hours of rest she had gotten were adequate for her Metahuman body.

A shower and change of clothes later, she found herself wandering up to the computer in the common room. After logging on to her e-mail provider, she found that she had six messages. Kamala had applied for 12 jobs. The feeling of foreboding was already there and it was not with high hopes that the hex-caster opened the first message.

She scanned the short reply.

_Blah blah blah...position you have requested no longer available...blah blah blah_

Huffing, she hit the reply button. They had to give her points for trying. She didn't want to sound desperate, but there was no reason why she couldn't ask for a follow-up position. Kammie spent the next ten minutes composing a professional, courteous, optimistic reply requesting information on any other open positions they might have.

When she hit the send button, the mail program responded almost immediately. Blinking, the sorceress looked at the newest e-mail sitting at the top of her in-box.

"Mailer-daemon?" she muttered.

Opening the new message, she once more scanned the contents. What she read had her bristling.

"We're sorry, but the message you have sent cannot be delivered. The recipient is not currently accepting messages from this address-... They blocked me. They fucking _blocked_ me!"

Growling irately, she deleted the message. The cheery, chirping confirmation sound did _not_ match her mood. The Hive Five member jammed her finger onto the mouse pad to click on the next message.

_Blah blah blah...No positions available for your skill set...blah blah blah_

Growling, Kamala moved to the third message.

_Blah blah blah...However, we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding ex-offenders...blah blah blah_

"This is _bullshit_!"

A confused, female voice behind her startled the pink-haired girl nearly out of her boots.

"Where is this bovine excrement you speak of?"

Turning around, she found Koriand'r floating from the kitchen with some Super Frosted Sugar Bombs cereal. The extraterrestrial princess was wearing a celadon morning robe that complimented her eyes. Kori floated over to the side of the semi-circular couch and sat on its edge. Kamala hadn't spoken much with the alien--or anyone else, for that matter. This wasn't exactly a social visit and, barring Stone, she didn't know the other Titans' feelings about her.

"Not-... Never mind. I need to find a job. I don't want to disappoint Raven. I _know_ I can find something. If only these stupid... fucking... grrr!" she said, repeatedly punching the mouse pad with her index finger while the cursor hovered over the delete button.

The emerald-eyed alien smiled gently at the other woman's slight frustration and tried to soothe the tension, "You should not worry, friend Jinx. Raven will be proud and cherish you regardless of your status or unemployment. I wish you both the best. I, too, know how difficult it is to fight against the customs of one's society for the one you love. You must persist to find happiness."

"So you're not-" Kammie held her hands up and wiggled her fingers, "-all weirded out over me 'n' Raven?"

"Should I be? Are you not happy?"

The pink-haired girl floundered, "Of course, but... but there's always that homophobic thing. I mean, you're _straight_, right?"

"I have been upright since I learned to walk, friend Jinx, but I am not familiar with the term 'ho-mo-foe-bic.' Is it a disease of some form?"

"You could say that... Relationships of same-sex couples aren't always tolerated," Kamala explained, "'Straight' is a term we use for heterosexual people."

She was bisexual--but she wasn't about to complicate the matters any further by trying to explain this. From what she had seen so far, that was a job for their resident bird-boy. He could have it, Kamala wasn't about to be someone's information resource to the world. Hell, even _she_ didn't understand this crazy planet half the time.

"On Tamaran, love occurs wherever it will, between whomever it will. Our females have bonded with as many males as they have females. Why should I not feel joy for those who have found love? It does not matter to me if you are straight or crooked."

The hex-caster chuckled somewhat wistfully, but didn't correct the Tamaranean princess, "I wish it were that way here. People on Earth excel at finding reasons to hate."

Kori seemed to sober slightly at this, "Sadly, that is not something exclusive to Earth. I know others are not as... open and accepting as the people of Tamaran. I do not understand why they hate as they do... and I do not wish to know."

Kamala could detect something there--something dark. Whatever it was, it wasn't a pleasant memory for Koriand'r. Respectfully, she did not pry or ask for clarification.

"Don't blame ya," she muttered, then refocused on the issue at hand, "I still need a job, though. It's part of my agreement for probation. I don't wanna look incompetent... How'm I supposed to become a merc if I can't even find regular work?"

* * *

Raven awoke to find Kamala missing. The sun was already up, but she forgave herself this laziness; it was their rest period, after all. The bed was cool where the shape of her girlfriend remained. Yawning, the demi-Demon meandered out of bed and began preparing for the day ahead.

When she neared the end of the hallway to the common room, she phased through the door--and stopped. Kamala was talking with Koriand'r. She quietly ghosted over to the kitchen to make some tea.

Kamala's awareness twitched when Raven turned on the stove. She smiled gently at the sorceress and went about putting her water on the pad. It wasn't long before she approached her girlfriend with two softly steaming cups of tea in hand. She held out one.

"Here, try this--it's supposed to promote tranquility."

"Thanks," Kammie said, and then casually eyed Kori and Raven, '_Note to self: People that fly keep sneaking up on me; must buy some collars with bells._' After a sip from the tea, she sighed. It was like balm to her frustration. The pink-haired girl raised a brow, "This is good, what is it?"

"Recipe from Azarath. It uses common herbs, but they act as a relaxant when prepared in the right proportions."

"Mm," the sorceress noised.

"Kamala, are you having trouble with this job thing? I hadn't realized until yesterday just how difficult it would be. If you want, I can have Judge Rendalton sign an order-"

"_No_!" she said a little too hastily, "I mean... no. I need to show them I can do this. I need to do this myself... I just have to try harder."

Raven sat back next to Kori, "How many places have you visited during the past week?"

"About forty," Kamala muttered petulantly--none of them had been willing to hire her.

"And the online applications; how many of those did you fill out?"

"Twelve."

The demi-Demon nodded, "You're trying harder than most people would. That you haven't given up is a testament to your perseverance. I won't call in for any help... but accepting help isn't showing a weakness--you know that. You have to use any resources at your fingers."

The hex-caster just nodded and sipped from her tea.

"If you can't find a job by next week... we'll try calling Judge Rendalton. For today, why don't you just relax? Take a break from it all and come back to it tomorrow. It will do wonders for your mood--and that's important in interviews. Good attitude sells."

* * *

Jinx lounged about. It was an odd sight; the pink-haired ex-villainess was usually busy or hyper. Usually so goal-oriented, to see her do absolutely _nothing_ was almost amusing--because she didn't know what to do with herself. Around noon, it reached fever pitch. She couldn't sit around, play videogames and watch TV, and spend dazed minutes staring out the windows any longer.

A short meandering through the Tower later found her standing in front of her doorway. The ex-villainess let her mind go--and _this_ was where she wound up. Some answer. Instead of complaining, she attempted to center herself and calm the hyperactivity welling up inside her. Kamala sat down in front of her mediation table and lit her incense. Her murti sat atop the table, now... resplendent yet humble in its little 'shrine.' Now was as good as any time for devotion.

From there, she began reciting the thousand names of Vishnu. She hadn't done it for a very long time, but it was drilled into her head and it flowed back to her like a river of tranquility. She went through a few mantras--to make up for lost time, maybe. She wasn't sure, but it helped calm her. Once finished with these and already in a light trance, she began true meditation. She searched for the answer within herself, trying to divine the world and her place within it.

In this, the sorceress could be far more successful than most. Her powers over chance and fate allowed her a modicum of choice in her ultimate path. During her meditation, she could almost _see_ the threads of fate composing the string of life that was Kamala. It was times like that the she felt most in control, safe in the knowledge of herself and her choices.

When in combat, she automatically took the 'best' thread to yield an outcome. It was instinct, but also a skill honed by practice. Between instinct and skill, there was little she couldn't accomplish when Kammie set her mind to it. The plans she made were based as much upon intel and reconnaissance as they were 'gut feelings' and those little nudges she felt by fate during meditation.

Wherever it guided her, she had faith that her God would see her along the true path. Those such as Brother Blood had attempted to divert her from her true path. In the end, however, Kamala had emerged from that trial more aware if not stronger. Samsara would probably be good for her, she figured; it wasn't moksha--that was likely a _long_ way off...

Still, what paths she could see said that what she was doing was having a positive effect on her life. It would be good for her and she would be happy. If that was the case, then that was the path she was taking. If something felt wrong, the hex-caster would just avoid it as best she could in the same way she dodged attacks during fights.

* * *

By three o' clock, Kammie had just about exhausted all activities that would be safe--for her and for the other occupants of the tower, at least. She was sure she could always raise Hell in one form or another, but she was here on Robin's sufferance. Well, that ruled out antagonizing the various Titans to no purpose. Maybe she could raise just a _little_ bit of Hell; feed Starfire some lascivious ideas and send her off to Robin for an explanation or something...

This and other ideas rapidly ran through her head--she was good at that sort of thing. In summary, she abandoned all ideas in favor of seeking out Raven. A completely _insane_ plan had entered her mind and it was so stupid and crazy that it _had_ to work! First, however, she needed to find the resident cloaked teen. She was filled with equal parts anxiousness and anticipation. If the HIVE Five member got her way, it would be a day to remember, yet!

A quick search of the common room, kitchen, training room, and the roof showed nothing. Finally trying the violet-haired girl's room, she found the door closed. When the pink-haired girl arrived earlier that week, the other Titans had quickly explained the rules of Raven's room.

Despite her recent presence there a number of times, and now it seemed every night, she continued to respect these rules as best they applied to her. She knocked on the door--lightly lest she disturb Raven--in a one, two-three rap. The hex-caster waited for some kind of response. She heard the door's lock click open... The door shrouded over with black energy and slid slowly to the right until it hung open halfway. No greeting, but she could hear some soft chanting from inside.

Taking this as permission, she pushed the door open fully, entered, and closed the door behind her. The demi-Demon had drawn her window's curtains closed and the room held a very subdued, yellow-orange glow from the four, asymmetrical lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Here she found Raven on her bed; the mystic Titan was sitting in lotus position chanting her usual phrase, 'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.'

The sorceress crawled up onto the bed in front of Raven and sat in front of her. Deciding that a little more centering wouldn't do her any harm--and it would calm her jittery nerves--she assumed her own meditative position. Just as she reached a light trance through the mental repetition of her mantra, she felt another mind touch hers.

A wave of warmth and tranquility slowly infiltrated her senses along with the feeling of empowerment. She could feel the pleasure this brought to Raven and it was like a feed-back loop. Her focus increased Raven's focus, which increased her focus. It was a delightful sensation, this amazing clarity.

'_This is how the people of Azarath held group meditation. I was never allowed to do it, save with the mystic, Azar. We merge our minds and focus upon one goal._'

The words sat in her mind like something she had remembered or imagined, but more real... more _solid_. Kamala sighed and let the feelings wash over her. She could feel Raven's echoing response until they had found the quintessential_ balance_ they both sought.

* * *

Almost twenty minutes later, the meditation slowly ended. Kamala opened her eyes and grinned back at the composed and stoic face of Raven.

"That was amazing. I've never felt so _centered_..."

Raven nodded a small, peaceful smile twitched across her lips, "It is. I haven't been able to do it since I left Azarath. If--if you don't mind, I'd like to do it more often..."

The sorceress nodded enthusiastically.

The demi-Demon was silently impressed. Kamala's aura was very large, a testimony to her vivacity; it pulsed and surged and crackled like liquid fire, washing over her body in waves and pervading the atmosphere. She could understand how the girl's powers would cause trouble even if she simply idled.

When the hex-caster meditated with her, she saw the fog of her aura slowly pull in and condense within her. It was amazingly versatile, like Kamala herself. That was to say nothing of the zany girl's mental discipline. For all her random nature, the pink-haired girl really knew how to focus herself. It was a pleasant surprise and only endeared Raven to her more.

"So what was it that you wanted?"

The energy from Kamala skyrocketed and blanketed the immediate area. Raven quickly put up her barriers to prevent it from seeping into her and affecting her newly acquired calm.

"I was just wondering... can I go clubbing?"

Raven blinked and assumed her bland nonchalance, "Just stay out of trouble."

"..."

At the other girl's insistent stare, she gave in, "What?"

"It's no fun going _alone_."

It took all of half a second for the mystic Titan to understand the inference. She went to her slanted bookshelf to retrieve a tome.

"...No."

"But you're the one that said to take the day off an' relax! C'mon... _Please_?" she implored piteously, drawing her last word with a long whine.

"No."

"You'd get to wear that hot spaghetti strap I saw in your closet."

The demi-Demon jerked her eyes up from the cover, "When did you-... No."

"It'll be _dark_ and _gothic_," the hex-caster tried.

"No."

"You'll like the music..."

Raven went over to her bed and sat down. She opened the book to some predetermined page and replied without missing a beat.

"No."

Kammie leaned in close, "I'll give you a lap dance."

Raven's right brow crept toward the ceiling. No one had ever propositioned her with something like _that_. She began to read, but none of the words on the page reached her mind, falling off somewhere along the broken tracks of her derailed train of thought.

"... ... No."

The ex-villainess heaved a sigh, and then decisively stated, "Fine, if you won't go with me, I'll just stay here... And I'll just have to find some entertainment around the Tower."

The violet-haired heroine didn't respond, still trying to make the words on the page sink in. Normally, she would have thrown out the offending person breaking her concentration. If she wanted to be honest with herself, she enjoyed the pointless banter. As a proclaimed hater of all things pointless, she felt stumped on how to deal with someone as prone to tangents as her girlfriend.

It was quiet now, though, and she began at the first paragraph of the heading in her tome of rituals. The quiet didn't last long enough for her to get two sentences into the book. Damnit.

"Did you know Robin has every Sports Illustrated magazine _ever_?"

Raven couldn't help but snort.

"It's true, even the Swimsuit Editions!"

Rolling her eyes, the Titan decided to see where Kamala was going with this, "...And?"

"Wouldn't it be cool if we... if we snagged one and _ran_ with it 'til he chased us?" the sorceress giggled madly.

"No," she replied, staring strangely at the pink insanity, "Why would you even consider it, Jinx?"

The demi-Demon knew she had fallen into a trap the moment Kammie's grin became manic. She mentally groaned.

"You're not looking at the big picture! We could run around until we were all out of breath... Then we'd head for his room! All we'd have to do then is throw it to him. He'd be standing in his room, all red-faced and winded, holding a Swimsuit Edition of SI. One of us could have a camera handy and snap a picture of 'im! I bet I could sell 'em to National Enquirer for $500 per snapshot! ...It may not be _respectable_ money, but it's still _honest_ money. After all, I _do_ need a job..."

"_No_!" Raven stood and exclaimed in horror at the prospect.

With another sigh, the hex-caster appeared downtrodden, "Okay..."

A second later, the heroine sense another spark of creativity fill the air. She didn't doubt that Kamala could do this all night. While interesting, the mystic Titan wasn't sure she could remain sane through it all.

"Ooo! Or we could-"

Raven interrupted, "Okay, okay. I'll go with you--just let that thought in your head go."

Excitedly, Kamala bounded over and snatched the violet-haired girl up in a hug. She spun the demi-Demon around and set the other girl back on her feet. She smiled at the dazed look on Raven's face. After planting a thorough kiss on her girlfriend, she all but skipped to the door.

"Great! We'll eat out. We can grab a meal at 8 and hit the club at 9; so be ready by 7:30. See you then!"

Then she was gone, leaving Raven stunned in the center of a maelstrom of confusion. The mystic Titan sat heavily on her bed, then fell back and shook her head. Jinx had just manipulated her, but somehow she couldn't seem to care.

* * *

With the time slowly approaching, Kamala was rummaging around in the Titans' old undercover wardrobe set. She had to wonder about some of the things she saw, but the pink-haired girl was happily pulling out several pieces of clothing. With what she had in her backpack, she should be able to come up with something workable.

It took some time, but she found a few things in the aisle marked 'Argent.' Whoever this Argent girl was, she had good taste. There was a mid-calf length skirt in black and pink! It had two decorative, black leather belts looping around from the sides crisscrossing each other where they dangled... they connected to the skirt via small rings on either side of the waistband. The skirt was uniform with small pleats until the ends, which diverged into a myriad of spiky tips. If she spun, they fanned out slightly. It brought a grin to the hex-caster's face.

Between her boots, the skirt, and the top, she would rock the club! The velvet halter corset was carmine with deep pink patterns of meandering spider web trails. The top came down to _just_ above her navel, leaving a hint of pale tummy before the skirt began. It was a delightfully gothic ensemble. A bit of pitch and pink mayhem never hurt anybody.

All that needed doing was her hair; she wanted to style it into something a bit different from her average, functional horns. Nothing as elaborate or easily disturbed as the ribbons she wore at _Karasu's_... It wasn't until after she had spent nearly an hour toying with it that a novel idea hit her. She knew her hair was always wild; it was one of her Metahuman traits. She quickly washed her hair and gently blow-dried it until it had a wind-swept appearance. Still in its nigh-permanent horn style, the hair splayed a bit at the ends and formed wide, curving waves above her head.

After noting she only had about ten minutes before they had to leave, Kamala went to Raven's room and knocked. A vague affirmation came into her mind, leaving her to wonder if she had imagined it or if the mystic Titan had really sent to her. Before she could decide which it had been, the door opened. Then Kammie found her jaw dropping and her thoughts falling into the gutter.

A pair of black boots looked similar to what the violet-haired girl usually wore, except they came up to mid-calf and had latches. The shoes disappeared under some oddly designed pants. They looked loose fitting, but not baggy; possibly made of cotton or some material like it. This was what she could see through the _panels_. There were four broad strips of cloth sewn to the bottom of the waistband, below a series of cloth loops for a belt. The front and back panels were the largest; each of the side strips only about four inches wide. At first, the pants looked black like the shoes, but the light from the hallway caught a bit of one of the panels and showed it to be a very dark navy blue.

The demi-Demon had taken her suggestion and worn the silk, spaghetti strap tank top she had seen in the closet. The straps were navy like the pants, the rest of it a solid black down to her waist. It was more modest than what most teenagers their age were wearing today, but infinitely more flattering. The top put her neck on display and this effect was even more pronounced by her hair, which she had been loosely pulled back from her neck and bound about two inches above the ends with a violet, satin ribbon. The usual two locks of hair framed her face; their new length had them resting against her clavicle.

'_I'd just love to crawl into those pants of hers and-_' Kamala tried to cut the thought off, her face going red as her eyes perused Raven hungrily, '_Oh yeah._'

"Thank you," Raven said quietly, a slight blush to her features as well.

"I-I didn't say anything," the ex-villainess said with a start.

The heroine tapped her temple and smiled a bit, "You didn't have to. ...You look good, too. You're... you're gorgeous..."

It was slightly awkward. Neither was used to compliments and too many shared within the same space of time would become progressively more embarrassing. By mutual consent, the teens moved over this and onto new lines of conversation. They left the hallway and proceeded to the common room's elevator.

* * *

The other Titans watched the two girls cross the room until the elevator doors closed. Richard raised his eyebrows, but he said nothing. Gar paused mid-sentence and promptly forgot what he was going to say. An appreciative whistle sounded from Vic, quickly followed by a giggle from Kori.

* * *

Raven flew them across the bay, taking them to street level. As they made their way from the boardwalk, Kamala turned to move down the street. It was then that they hit a snag.

"Don't suppose you know any Indian restaurants around here, do ya?"

Raven blinked and thought about it, "Sorry, no."

There was a sudden lull.

"Well, that blows _that_ idea," the hex-caster grumbled, then queried, "Chinese?"

"I'm partial to Japanese."

"Hn... what about Italian again?"

"Make it Greek and we're good," the demi-Demon offered.

"Ooo, I've never had Greek!"

Raven smiled and tugged on Kamala's hand, "You'll like it. Come on, I'll take you there."

She let out a little laugh as she trailed behind the violet-haired girl, "Wait a sec, aren't I supposed to be taking you out? I mean, it was _my_ idea..."

Slowing down enough to glance back at Kamala without bowling over any pedestrians, Raven raised a brow, "Can you even afford to take me out?"

With the reminder that she was pockets-out broke, she ran her free hand through her hair and grinned compulsively.

"Er... heh, um... no?"

Rolling her eyes, the mystical Titan tugged the ex-villainess onward, "Come on."

* * *

_The Elysion Banquet_ was a quiet, Greek cuisine restaurant. It had a few outside tables for those that wanted to enjoy the outside atmosphere rather than the subdued interior of chandeliers and candles. They sat down at one of the outside tables and a waiter quickly provided them with menus.

Kamala ordered a Greek frappé and Raven requested the chamomile. After their waiter served the drinks, he checked to see if they had decided on meals. Kammie let her girlfriend order for them, since she knew the food better. The heroine chose the family-sized platter of souvlaki; a dish consisting of small pieces of meat and vegetables grilled on a skewer. It came with a choice of meats: pork, chicken, beef, or lamb. Raven was quick to assure her that she had ordered lamb, not beef.

When the large plate arrived with fifteen skewers, six slices fried garlic bread, and two halved lemons, the hex-caster's jaw dropped. There was enough meat here to satisfy even Victor's cravings! She discreetly waited until the waiter had left before leaning forward.

"Raven, I can't eat all this!"

The violet-haired girl nodded as if she expected that, "I know. I got the family size because I was hungry. Just eat however much you're comfortable with. I'll finish the rest."

"Are... are you sure?" Kamala asked, eyeing the large platter.

"You've probably noticed I don't typically eat large portions of food. I'll have about one small meal a day... and drink tea," she lifted her chamomile, "the rest of the time. About once a month, I refuel myself with large meals of meat. ...It's a Demon thing."

In the end, Kammie managed to down three of the skewers and one of the garlic breads. Somehow, Raven managed to politely and tactfully devour three skewers for every one of hers and _still_ keep up with their light conversation about their various teammates. As the hex-caster slowly finished her frappé, she watched Raven quietly consume the remaining three skewers and two more garlic breads.

"-found Baran holding Mikron by the ankle. I can't leave those two alone for _three minutes_. It's ridiculous!"

"The sound a lot like Gar and Vic."

She nodded and tried to find the right words to describe the relation, "Even though we get on each others nerves to no end, it's like..."

"You couldn't stand not having them there?"

The pink-haired girl nodded enthusiastically, thankful for the enunciation on her train of thought. Raven really understood her--understood her circumstances and way of life. The mystic Titan probably knew more about her than anyone outside the three HIVE graduates. It was comforting that she had someone she could confide in with these things.

Somehow, during this Raven had emptied the rest of the platter. Kamala blinked and tried to remember the violet-haired heroine doing so. It was hard to notice, but she eventually caught on to how the plate would be liberated of a couple skewers whenever Raven replied. It was sly--diverting her attention away from the plate via conversation. It was probably something her girlfriend did unconsciously, so as not to draw attention to the fact that she was eating the lion's share of the food.

After paying for the meal, they left _The Elysion Banquet_ and the ex-villainess convinced her to fly them closer to the docks. It was a few miles before the docks would merge into skid row, placing the club they wanted to attend somewhere between the middle-class apartments and the slums.

* * *

It was here Kamala led Raven; to this club that already had a lengthy line at 9 PM. The neon sign on a renovated warehouse-turned-nightclub proclaimed itself _The Radiant Eclipse_. She could hear the beats ebb and flow in rapid beats alternately blurred and sharp, and sometimes a mix of the two. As they approached, the pink-haired girl waved to the bouncer. He nodded to her as they came to a stop in front of him.

"Hey, Brant."

Standing six-foot-badass, the man was built like a tank and wore all black--boots, jeans, tee shirt, and a jacket with the club logo on the left breast. He was either bald or shaved his head religiously. His piercing, silvery eyes held a glint of dangerous humor.

Brant's voice was the baritone Raven expected, "Hey there, Fortune Cookie. Haven't seen you around in a while."

"Yeah, I'm changing things up a bit."

He nodded and grinned at mischievously--which looked menacing if one didn't know him, "Got yourself a hot date, huh?"

An arm snaked across her stomach and another slid over her left shoulder. A chin rested on her right shoulder, "Yes, I do."

The sorceress flushed darkly. Since when was Raven _outgoing_?

Brant laughed and waved them on, "Well, then, don't let me keep you! Enjoy your night, Jinx."

As they passed, he snagged Kamala's arm lightly, "Oh, I almost forgot--Marie wants to see you again. Give me a call and we'll get together sometime?"

The ex-villainess smiled and nodded. Once they were inside, it was far too loud to speak without shouting. The music throbbed suggestively and already there was a large crowd enthralled by its hypnotic rhythm. In light of this, Raven sent to Kamala instead of trying to talk over the music.

'_Who is Marie?_'

The beautiful bad luck charm waited until she had pulled Raven to the edge of the crowd to reply. It was almost pitch black near the edge, but both the feline-eyed girl and the demi-Demon could see fine. The splashes of colored lights and strobes briefly highlighted the pair, but they were otherwise anonymous in the murky darkness. She could tell the mystic Titan was not used to dancing in this setting--if any setting at all. She rested her hands on Raven's hips and slowly guided them into a trance-like sway.

'_His sister, she's about... 14, now. A couple years ago, I was going to the store for groceries when I saw some junkie climbing out a window. Brant came running out after the guy an' I decided to hex the junkie._

'_Marie has a heart condition. She needs to take medication to keep her heart from beating too fast. She'll pass out and have a heart attack without the medicine. Brant gave me a free pass into the_ Eclipse_ to thank me._'

Raven slowly began to relax, feeling out the beat and letting Kamala guide her movements. Once she got the hang of it, it wasn't so hard. In fact, it was rather invigorating. By the second mix, she was moving with her girlfriend as fluidly as though she had been doing it forever.

The pink-haired girl let her eyes roam the heroine again, '_I've never seen pants like yours. Where did you get them?_'

The violet-haired girl blushed a bit and replied, '_They're actually part of a set from my graduation. I wore them for the initiation ceremony as an acolyte of Azar when I was 12._'

Sensing the question bubbling up from the incongruity of the situation, Raven preempted her, '_They're mystical garments, they grow with me. It's the same with my cloak--it was part of my graduation set, as well._'

'_They're still sexy as Hell,_' Kamala thought back.

Raven smiled and silently fell into the motions of the club. The ambient beats began to pick up into a techno-tribal sort of cadence with grungy, industrial undertones. She felt the sorceress' smooth shift to match it. This beat was far more intimate and it drew them closer. Kammie was resplendent in this pounding rhythm, completely giving herself over to the music. Even without the link she had established, the violet-haired girl could feel the hex-caster's pure elation and _freedom_ washing over her in euphoric waves.

* * *

'_Do you like the music?_'

A mental affirmation waved into Kamala's mind.

'_Isn't it dark and gothic?_'

It was, and Raven found it strangely pleasing, '_Yes._'

'_Told ya. Now there's only one thing missing,_' the pink girl's thoughts were tinged with a felid, sensual growl, '..._the lap dance!_'

The mystic Titan jerked and pushed back slightly with her hands on the other girl's arms. Thinking quickly, she sent, '_You can't do that_ here_! Besides, I'd have to be sitting--and I'm not going to sit down just so you can give me a-... one of those!_'

"Hmm," the ex-villainess purred into her ear, "Then I guess I'll have to improvise."

She pulled Raven even closer, her hips grinding against her girlfriend. The skirt, front panel, and pants were of little use as barriers when it came to the seductive motions that pressed the two together. Flush against the violet-haired girl, Kamala continued to sway back and forth, putting delicious pressure into the pelvic undulations, practically making love to Raven by the rhythmic pulse of the music.

* * *

Raven froze in place, hands gripping her girlfriend's upper arms. Desperately, she tried to reign in the haywire emotions that all but leapt from her skull when Kamala began grinding. For almost a minute, she simply stood there with her eyes clenched shut and her face bright red. The hands on her hips urged her to move in tandem.

More than a little embarrassed, the demi-Demon allowed the hex-caster to move her again. It was hard to concentrate on dancing at all with the licentious presence repeatedly working against her hips! This went on for several minutes and Raven could feel the heat building up inside her. She shivered a bit and, despite the heat of the club, her skin broke out in gooseflesh.

Just as she had nearly regained her wits, Raven felt Kamala's leg slide past the panel and between her legs... It was as if the girl was trying to step _into_ her and occupy the same space! This _completely_ changed the sensations coursing through her.

The sudden friction between her legs threatened to buckle her knees. She was losing control! The Titan's arms quickly wrapped around the sorceress' neck, holding tightly lest her legs give out on her. When Kamala rocked into her during a crescendo in the music, her eyes snapped open--all four of them.

"Oh, _Azar_," she moaned.

The pink-haired girl kissed the side of the demi-Demon's neck, eliciting a short, wordless groan.

* * *

In the corner of the _Eclipse_, two couples sat in a booth while they took a short break from the high-energy dancing. They had been one of the first inside and it was going on 10:30, they'd rest for a bit and dance some more, but a breather was required by all. They had some drinks, none alcoholic--not yet. That would come later, as well.

Their first hint that something was amiss was when their drinks were at eye-level. The four glanced at the levitating table encased in a dark energy.

"Um..."

One young man cautiously lifted his drink from the table, took a sip, and sat it back. Nothing happened. He looked under the table. He saw dancing feet of those at the edges of the crowd... but nothing supporting the table. Sitting back, the young man shook his head.

"Okay, that's just fuckin' weird."

"Look!" one of the girls exclaimed, pointing at the edge of the dancing crowd, "I saw eyes; they were all red and--_there_!"

All four looked beyond the oddity of their seemingly magical table and to the crowd. Sure enough, four gleaming eyes blazed a deep, bloody hue. The lights and strobes highlighted a girl about their age dancing with another young woman with bright pink hair sticking up in two broad, curving triangles. It wasn't shocking to find various colors of hair in various styles at the _Eclipse_, but it was a first that they had seen someone with more than one set of eyes--much less glowing ones.

The two dancing girls were really going at it on the floor. Again, this wasn't something unheard of for the _Eclipse_, but they still couldn't get over the quadruple eyes. The head of this twin-set eyed girl tilted back slightly, mouth open in a gasp before the face buried itself against the neck of the pink-haired girl. The two couples weren't close enough to see the fangs, but they were there.

One of the young men finally mustered his senses and pulled out his cell. It was equipped with all the bells and whistles one would expect of a teenager in the age of cell phone multimedia. He slid out from the table and got a quick shot of it simply hanging in the air. Then he swung the view over to the dancing girls. They were still there. He had enough space left on his phone for up to two minutes of recording. Every remaining second was spent on the beautiful girls dancing obliviously. Several times, he zoomed in on the back of the pink-haired head and the four-eyed face.

* * *

Raven nipped at Kamala's neck gently, mindful of the fangs she knew had emerged, gaining her girlfriend's attention. Finally pulling back slightly, the demi-Demon panted lightly for several seconds. Her face was flushed and her entire body _tingled_... and _zing_ed.

"_Jinx_," she gasped, and Kamala thought the sound of her name like _that_ on Raven's lips was undeniably sexy, "I-... have to stop. ...R-really, I'm-"

She was cut off with a kiss. Raven sighed into it. Thankfully, the hex-caster did not press the issue--literally or metaphorically... she wasn't entirely certain she could have denied her girlfriend a second time. When the shameless, pink nymph pulled away, she found herself being led through the crush of dancing bodies.

* * *

"Holy Hell..." said the boy.

His only regret was that his phone had stopped recording 13 seconds prior.

* * *

Kamala found a stool at the bar and promptly hopped into it. She pulled a blushing Raven into her lap and murmured into her ear just loud enough to be audible over the music.

"Told ya it's more fun to go clubbing with someone!"

Raven let out a slightly flustered chuckle. She was still picking up her scattered marbles. After a moment, she became aware of the tender hovering near them and glanced in his direction. When the man finally made eye contact with her, he started, and then blatantly stared for several seconds.

Kammie waved him over. Almost hesitantly, he approached. The tender couldn't help but keep glancing at the angular, ruby eyes. The eyes blinked at him, making him start again. The pink-haired girl waved her hand in front of his face and his eyes jerked over to her.

"I'll have a coke..."

A poke in the ribs prompted Raven, who was slowly coming out of her daze, "Um... j-just ice water, please..."

Something to cool her down inside was necessary right about now...

* * *

"Bicardi on the rocks... and a napkin, please."

Kamala glanced to the recently vacated--and immediately filled--seat beside her. A single, fleeting look was all it took to make her go completely rigid. Raven felt her 'seat' stiffen and turned her head to look at the man as well. He was in his very early twenties, perhaps just old enough to drink.

This mysterious person familiar to the hex-caster had ash-blonde hair bordering on grey. It was just long enough to spike up in an unruly mess with a vague, forward-pointing order; a few spikes touched his eyebrows but were not long enough to get in his eyes. His hazel eyes--closer to amber, really--gazed at them with some amusement, as though there was an inside joke that only he (and maybe Jinx) understood.

He was dressed in a tiger-stripe camouflage, long-sleeve shirt in urban grayscale. His pants were black, like so many others, and cargo style with more pockets than Raven felt was necessary. The pants had zippers about the knees that could turn them into shorts. His belt was dark grey and housed a buckle with a skull design similar to the Punisher comics. His shoes were sporty in design--built with traction in mind, probably--with black with red stripes.

Perhaps the oddest thing about him was the gloves he wore. They were thin, black, leather gloves that didn't appear to serve much function beyond giving him a slightly better grip. Raven took all this in within seconds and then focused back on his eyes. Without pupils, it was hard to tell that she had been sizing him up. To her assessment, the young man was average and no threat to either of them. She wondered what threw Kamala into a panic...

The tender came back with his drink and napkin. The napkin he picked up and folded meticulously, making sure the corners were even. He folded it over a second time, repeating the process, creasing the napkin sharply to ensure it held form. The white fabric, placed with its sides parallel to the bar, sat starkly against the black bar top.

The glass he held between his thumb and first two digits, keeping it at eye level for inspection; the amber-eyed man scrutinized it for several seconds. Finally deeming it fit to his standards, he took a sip and savored the drink for a few moments. When he set the glass down, it was dead center on the napkin--the part of the rim that he had sipped from pointed straight down at him, perpendicular to the bar top. Raven watched this obsessive ritual with mild interest. The young man was either oblivious to the four, Demonic eyes staring at him... or he didn't _care_.

"Having fun, Pinky?" he said, his voice playful but unremarkable.

Kamala's tension raised a level, Raven noticed, but her body relaxed. It was too late to hide, though. Her girlfriend's thoughts stilled and focused themselves on the conversation as though it were a game of chess.

"Brain, what're you doin' here?"

He looked at them and grinned impishly, "I can't enjoy the company of two beautiful women?"

"So you're in our company, now?" she retorted with a raised brow.

'Brain' waved the rebuttal away with a light gesture, "I tend to use the term loosely."

"_Liberally_ is more like it."

Raven decided it was time to enter the conversation, "How is it that he got the name of 'Brain?'"

He recited part of a song, "Because they're Pinky, they're Pinky, they're Pinky and the Brain, Brai-"

"Sebastian," Kamala interrupted.

He took another sip from his drink, setting it down in the same spot in the middle of the napkin. This he seemed to do as compulsively and unconsciously as anything else. Sebastian was persuasive and confident--that much Raven could sense, but little else. His mind was very guarded...

"Right. I'm Sebastian Crawford. Nice to meet you, Miss..." he trailed, holding out his gloved right hand.

The demi-Demon shook his hand smoothly but firmly. She received a quick flicker of images and feelings from the contact with his aura. The images flickered in her mind's eye--vaguely and too quickly to analyze completely.

_Running, feeling the wind break about him/her and the pounding of his/her feet against the roof... A leap! Weightless for but a moment... _Freedom_. Gravity took hold and the street below beckoned... Descent began-_

Blinking once, she mentally shook away the emotions and images that were not hers... she had no idea what they meant, and more importantly it wasn't her place to question them.

"Rachel Roth. ...Charmed."

Sebastian's smile grew fractionally, "Well, that's a relief! I was worried I might be slipping if you weren't charmed by my sophisticated and charismatic nature."

"_Sebastian_," the pink-haired girl cut in with a slight glare.

* * *

One would have to be blind not to recognize the violet-haired girl. The fact that she currently had four eyes only reinforced his need to speak with Jinx. Something was definitely not right about any of this. He had first seen them when they sat down; Raven looked under control, but intel said four eyes was a bad omen. An omen of _what_, however, was conveniently vague. The files of Raven had been lacking in the 'comprehensive' department and he didn't have the extra cash to shell out for a complete run-down on her from his inside source at the JL Watchtower.

News of Jinx's trial had reached him and he needed to know if something had happened. There was no pulse on her from his underground contacts. He didn't trust the legal reports he had seen. He had been meaning to ask her about it, but she was _always_ in the company of the Titans and he didn't want to jeopardize her position--whatever that position may be--by interfering.

It was just by chance that he found her here. And now was as good a time as any; all he had to do was keep Raven out of the loop long enough to get the lowdown from Jinx's mouth. The hard part would be separating her from the devilish Titan...

"Okay, okay. How've you been, Jinx? Haven't seen you around."

"Just getting myself turned around and settled in," Kamala responded lightly, trying to politely shorten the conversation and end it as quickly as possible.

"That's good to hear. So... how did you meet Jinx, Rachel?" he asked, ever so courteously including Raven in their conversation.

"We met at a jewelry shop. We had the same tastes," said Raven, smirking at the ambiguous understatement.

"What a coincidence, I sometimes dabble in precious jewels and metals."

'_Sebastian, shut up!_' Jinx mentally growled, unaware that she was projecting to Raven.

"Oh? What's your favorite jewel?" Raven said, playing the game with him.

"Hm, that's a good question." Another sip, another careful placement of the glass, and Sebastian replied, "I like pure rhodochrosite. It's hard to catch, but when you find one, it's so... _red_."

"Sounds like a real catch. I'll look into it."

"Oh, it is... By the way, Rachel, could I steal this pink gem away from a moment?" he asked holding out his hand in formal request.

She was aware of the smoldering ire from Kamala as she jumped at the offer, snatched Sebastian's hand. The mystic Titan noticed the quick twinge of pain that crossed his face as her girlfriend's grip tightened. The sorceress carefully slid out from under Raven and all but yanked Sebastian off his seat.

"Excuse us for a moment..."

* * *

Once they had cleared a distance of several yards, Jinx rounded on him.

"What are you _doing_? Raven will tear you apart if you keep baiting her! I don't want a fight!"

"What's happening, Jinx? Are they blackmailing you? ...Do you need to disappear for a while? I know some people that could have an ID and a ticket out of the country in 12 hours, no questions asked."

"_No_! I'm fine. I'm just... out with her. I was serious, I'm getting my life turned around. I've been trying to find a job--a _real_ job--and it's been hard. So tonight we're just trying to relax.

"So... Don't. Fuck. It _up_!" she growled.

For a second, Sebastian believed her. Unfortunately, his concern and his scrutinizing nature led him to believe she was hiding something. Whatever it was, it concerned him. What was so bad that she couldn't tell him? She knew he always kept things in the strictest confidence. Hell, he was better than a priest at keeping secrets! ...Not that a Catholic priest was of any use to the Vaishnavite.

"Kamala, are you sure-"

"_Sebastian_. Drop it, already."

* * *

Raven was not ready for the flash of jealousy that sparked across her mind at seeing the two walk away. Logically, she knew that this couldn't be a good thing for Sebastian since Kamala was angry, but it didn't stop her from feeling that way regardless. She could see and feel her girlfriend's agitation growing slowly. It wasn't as angry as it was before, but now held large amounts of exasperation. Even that didn't make the demi-Demon feel any better.

Finally, she decided to do something about it and stood up. Moving over to the ex-villainess, the heroine slid her arms around Kamala's waist and put her head over a shoulder. The violet-haired girl's eyes narrowed until they were mere slivers and her voice informed him that he should exercise caution.

"Are you antagonizing my girlfriend?"

Kamala blushed as Sebastian glanced to Raven and then riveted his attention on her. An eyebrow, almost invisible in its paleness against his skin, slowly rose.

"Your girlfriend?"

The pink-haired girl nodded slowly, "I was trying to tell you, Sebastian..."

"This isn't some-... you're serious about this? You're _sure_ about this?"

"Yes," the hex-caster said with a single, decisive nod, "For once, I'm completely sure."

That seemed to satisfy Sebastian and his drilling stare softened as he grinned at the two, "Then good luck, Jinx. And if there's ever any trouble--of any kind--you can depend on me. I'll be there, okay?"

Kamala nodded again.

"Then I'll see you around--places to go, things to do and all that..."

"See ya, Brain."

As Sebastian moved past them to go back to his drink, he paused by the violet-haired teen's ear, sibilating forceful words to her, "_You treat her right, Raven..._"

Then he was gone, leaving the demi-Demon to smirk lightly. It was good to know her girlfriend had someone else looking out for her; that she wasn't alone in caring for the zany, pink-haired girl. Raven turned her face into Kamala's neck placed a feather-light kiss there.

'_Dance with me again,_' she sent.

* * *

The girls finally had their fill of dancing around midnight. Kamala had managed to keep their eurhythmics relatively modest, with more energy and less... _frottage_. The breathless teens emerged from the busy club and, once out of the sight, levitated up. On the way to the tower, Raven dropped the bombshell Kammie was hoping wouldn't come.

"So who's Sebastian, really?"

"_Wha-huh_?" she said in slight panic, and then tried to cover it her poorly disguised shock, "What, uh, what do you mean? Sebastian's just Sebastian..."

"Kamala... I'm just curious. Don't worry about it--consider me off duty or whatever."

The hex-caster stared at her strangely, "Off-... but heroes don't go _off duty_... ... _Do_ they? Besides, you'd be angry and--and I don't want you to be angry at me."

The demi-Demon shook her head and sat down with her girlfriend on the disc of dark energy. Putting her arms around the girl, she pulled Kamala closer. Raven hugged her and spoke softly.

"I promise I won't be angry--you wouldn't be friends with someone who was a truly horrible person. I didn't feel much from Sebastian, but what I did feel was positive. ...Well, maybe he's a bit too _arrogant_ for his own good, but I've experience dealing with big egos."

Her girlfriend was silent for several minutes and they simply floated along toward the ever-approaching Titans Tower. After a quiet internal debate that Raven was careful to neglect--she wouldn't eavesdrop on something so personal. If Kamala wanted to tell her, she would. If not... that was okay, too.

"X."

Four eyes blinked at her.

"What?"

"He's Red-X."

The disc's motion halted so quickly that only Raven's arms around her kept the sorceress from pitching off it. Her girlfriend's head whipped around to face the way she came, jaws dropping to reveal the smaller, lower fangs.

"Rae... _Raven_, you _promised_ you wouldn't do anything," she said worriedly.

There was a disquieting lull before the violet-haired girl responded.

"I'm-I'm not... it's just..."

When the sentence didn't continue, the ex-villainess prodded, "...What?"

As the disc slowly accelerated once more, the mystic Titan slowly shook her head in dismay and appalling disbelief.

"Azar enlightened... Red-X is actually _more_ handsome than Garth."

"Garth?"

"...Aqualad," she muttered abashedly.

Kamala stared at Raven for a full three seconds before bursting out into a fit of giggles. Before long, Raven joined with her own soft chuckles... neither stopped until halfway up the elevator. The four-eyed girl could have teleported them directly inside, but she wanted to savor the time they had alone as long as possible.

* * *

She didn't know how it happened, but by the time the doors opened they were in each other's arms and making out like there was no tomorrow. It was odd--one moment they were laughing lightly... and then their eyes met, the laughter trailed off, and here they were. There was nothing _romantic_ about this frenzy of emotion and sensations... but it was certainly _zing_-y--and that was fine by Raven.

They stumbled along the common room--the ex-villainess guiding the Titan backward; it was dark, the Tower had gone lights out two hours ago. Almost tripping down the steps, they blindly made their way toward the couch. Miraculously, they made it onto the cushions of the curved furniture without injury. There Kamala pinned her girlfriend to the cushions and began ravishing her lips and neck with nips and kisses and licks that had Raven squirming delectably.

One hand rested on her shoulder, the other on her hip, holding her in place while the pink bundle of hormones led the Titan down a path she had never dared traverse. There was a slight rumbling sound as Kamala purred against her collarbone. A tiny nip made her gasp, and then the soothing warmth of a tongue made her sigh.

Raven felt the hand at her hip move, tracing up her flank. This time, Robin was nowhere in sight. The hex-caster, too impatient to undress her prize, pushed the black bra up and out of the way. The warm fingers that rested upon the uncovered flesh did not remain idle, and their maddening manipulations made her spine arch.

Their appreciative sounds had been quiet and contained for the most part. It wasn't as if they had planned this, so the element of spontaneity was a thrill for the heroine... almost as much a thrill as the ex-villainess' heady, intoxicating kisses. The soft utterances and throaty noises were quickly eclipsed when Kamala's hand focused on a nipple.

"_Jinx_!" she squeaked.

When the pink-haired girl nuzzled Raven's jaw, the hair-horns tickled her... the feeling was strangely erotic under the arousing circumstances. Her back slumped back into the cushions as her girlfriend took her lips again. The violet-haired teen's hands repeated gripped and released the spongy couch material. Moments later, Raven's back bowed again under Kamala's wickedly wonderful touch.

It was intense, almost unnaturally so... she was vaguely aware of bleed-over from Kamala's own feverish emotions. While she understood that it was probably the cause, she really wasn't of any mind to fix such a delightful problem. It heightened every sensation twice over! The demi-Demon's eyes flashed with vivacity as she let it all saturate her. Busy meshing lips with her, the sorceress didn't notice.

* * *

Something wrapped about her right forearm and pulled it from beneath Raven's shirt; she felt frustrated and disheartened. Kamala wanted her _so bad_! It was almost driving her crazy! Why wouldn't Raven let her? What was wrong about them doing this? When her knees and her left bicep were likewise grasped, her eyes flicked open. Okay, something about this was breaking logic--Raven only had _two_ arms...

Her eyes met with four, almond-shaped rubies backlit by crimson Hellfire. In the moments afterward, she found herself lifted up several yards above the couch. The dark clothing Raven wore appeared to have blended into a singular, liquid mass of umbral energy. Her girlfriend's shape had become more serpentine and shadowy, the only features not ensconced in the blackness was her neck and head.

The murky creepers leisurely but inexorably bore the ex-villainess across the room and against the large windows. The energy holding her pulled at her limbs, leaving her prone to the lengthy figure that slithered through the air and over to her. Raven's... body--if it could be called that--stretched out from the couch and slinked its way from below her until it was level with her face again. The face grinned at her with those four sharp fangs.

Kamala felt the tendrils of energy at her knees slowly envelope her legs. Having encased her from knee to toe, the curious creepers now glided over her bare legs. The pink-haired girl's mouth opened to gasp in shock--and maybe something else. The wisps of mystical power flicked at her inner thigh, causing her breath to hitch. Raven _wouldn't_...

"Rae, what the-"

She was silenced by a near feral kiss. The hex-caster could feel the points of the mystic Titan's fangs pressing against her lips, but _just_ so. The pressure never increased to the point where skin broke. The insistent lipping finally won her over and her mouth opened. Cautiously, her tongue slid against the tips of those incisors. A deep, twin- timbre growl of pleasure emitted and Kamala could feel it hum through her, straight into her _soul_.

A tendril of dark magic slid up and hooked through one side of her panties. Her pupils dilated further and she could feel her heart pound. The sorceress had never really given any thought to Raven's power... she was quickly finding new avenues to explore with her girlfriend. Speaking of exploring, the other feeler was mirroring the movements.

'_Okay, maybe there's something to this..._'

* * *

_Hers_. Finally, all hers! The self-imposed delay was frustrating and she knew exactly what she wanted. She always _waited_; waited for permission... waited to be given what she could just as easily _take_! The demi-Demon sent another limb out and behind her girlfriend, quickly and efficiently snagging the hidden zipper at the back of the halter corset.

As she slid it down, her mouth abandoned Kamala's lips for the pale, slender neck... and enjoyed the lustful whimper that resulted. Raven could feel the pulse of her girlfriend--so _fast_! She could sympathize... Everything about this was so new! She wanted to take her time to explore it all and she wanted to rush straight to what she was sure was an incredible zenith. It was so hard to decide, but in the meantime, rapid breaths created a captivating distraction with her girlfriend's top.

The door to the common room opened. That officious, ill-timed, prying, little _interloper_! She turned to snarl at him portentously. If the mortal valued his life, he would beg forgiveness and leave their presence. ...Or just leave and beg forgiveness later. At the moment, she truly and honestly didn't _care_. She _would_ have her magenta-themed lover.

"Jesus... _Raven_!" the masked young man exclaimed.

From Kamala, a sudden, terrifying mortification pierced her mind through their link. The sharp gasp and subsequent struggle to curl up from her lover drew her out of the swirling mist of wild desire... but yielded only the barest of sliver of Human reason; and even that was tinged with an edgy impatience.

The effect, however, was instantaneous. Both heroine and ex-villainess gently slid down from the elevated position at the window. The shadowy essence of Raven's Soul Self slowly receded, leaving the panting and growling, red-eyed Titan with her arms wrapped around Kamala.

Her girlfriend pressed her face to the side of her head, whispering fervently, "_Bedroom... the bedroom, now!_"

With one last parting snarl from Raven, the two sank into a pool darker than the shadows in the faintly moonlit room.

* * *

Kamala fell against the soft surface of the bed and was summarily caged there by Raven's arms. The body was once more familiar, with limbs and an actual form that wasn't... malleable. Their pale skin was stark against the dark sheets around them. This is where the hex-caster's mind called a halt to examinations.

"Um... Rae... where are our clothes?"

A vague gesture from her girlfriend opened a portal the foot of the bed and dropped their clothes in a heap with an audible 'fwump.' The pink-haired ex-villainess didn't have time to ponder this occurrence before the mystic Titan was upon her again.

Kamala sighed as the kisses wound her up again, and groaned at the wandering hands. Though inexpert, Raven was thorough and lacked for nothing in curiosity. Her violet-haired Demoness pursued everything that made her shiver or squirm, mewl or moan. Raven sat astride other girl, bent over to taste and nip at whatever seemed to hold her attention at the time.

However, she was not about to take this lying down. Well, so to speak. Years on the other side of the law had granted the sorceress certain liberties that would otherwise have been forbidden. When Kammie first got into relationships, she noticed that the other girls were all looking at the boys. During _her_ hunts, she found girls to be just as favorable quarry as boys. This led her to questions... questions the internet readily answered--and then some.

Therefore, while the hex-caster had no _practical_ experience, she was far more knowledgeable than her girlfriend was. It wasn't like her to sit back and be dominated, and she finally had a chance to put all the creative fantasies inside her demented little skull to use!

"**_Mine,_**" Raven rumbled gently, nipping at her neck again.

Kamala smiled, "If I'm yours, then you're mine, too..."

This made the demi-Demon pause; she hadn't considered that.

During this distraction, the hex-caster took initiative. Her left hand trailing from Raven's shoulder, she again began pleasurably tormenting one of those soft mounds of flesh. The opposite hand went to tease at the soft, short, violet fuzz. She felt the heroine seize above her and grinned. Taking further advantage, the hand crept over its prize and began plundering without remorse.

"**Oh-... Oh, Azar... Kam-_Kamala_...**"

From there, the pink-haired girl knew she had wrested control of this encounter--at least for now. As Kamala continued to explore Raven both inside and out, she leaned up and sought out the beautiful demi-Demon's lips. Her girlfriend went limp above her like a puppet with its strings cut. The mystical Titan shuddered under Kammie's frenetic attentions.

Tiny, muffled sounds made their way from the violet-haired girl as the intensity built and the coil inside her wound tighter. Something resembling sense dawned upon the heroine at that point as she freed her lips.

* * *

It was hard to concentrate, but she had to _try_...

"**Jinx... Nn... I--you have to _stop_. I'm losing control!**"

She felt the shell of her ear slowly licked by her lover and her breath hitched.

"Go ahead," Kamala whispered, "Lose control for me..."

High, binary pitches sounded in a whimper as her girlfriend's efforts redoubled and she found herself pushed to the edge. She teetered perilously, afraid of that unknown. She gripped the covers, fisting them and trying to anchor herself somehow against the onslaught of ecstasy.

"**I-I _can't_! It's too dangerous... What if-**" she faltered as a delicious wave of heat quivered across her flesh. It took her a moment to remember what she has been saying, "**What if I hurt you? I don't know what will happen--I don't-**"

"Shh... it's okay. I trust you. Just let go."

* * *

_Crack_.

That was the distinctive sound that came from his mug. As the coffee fell out of the glass container that had neatly split into halves, Robin quickly stood up. The Boy Wonder knew he shouldn't be that angry about it. After all, he'd only been resting his head in his hands, elbows on the table while he gazed into the surface of the black liquid as if it held the answer to the life, the universe, and everything.

While he went for a towel, he heard a crackling noise and turned back to see the halves of the mug now further decimated into tiny bits. With a sigh of martyrs, he soaked up the coffee with the towel and carefully began picking up the pieces. This wasn't how he envisioned spending his night.

"39... 40... 41... and... 42."

* * *

She panted harshly, finally prodded--in just the right places--until she fell over the edge. Raven let out a single, continuous moan as she felt her body tremble and burn, clench and liquefy. It was too much, beyond anything she had ever anticipated or hoped she could ever feel. Kamala held her all the while, carefully stoking the flames and keeping the inferno inside her going until she spent herself.

There had been a change... she knew it. The demi-Demon wasn't sure what the change had been yet, but she felt so empowered! They were far from done--she could _feel_ it. Slowly rising up, she could see her girlfriend appraising her new form. _That_ was it! _That_ was the change; Raven had felt herself shift.

Her skin had bled to a brick red, hardening to inhuman levels. Nails had lengthened and become claws; each one black as onyx. Her height had increased by a small margin of two inches and her bust had increased. The latter was barely noticeable, but she knew her body and could easily see the change. Her muscles seemed largely unchanged, but she could feel the strength that hadn't been there before. In all, she felt all her worries were greatly exaggerated--the obsessive worrying of a now greatly suppressed Human side.

Kamala pushed herself up by her elbows and tilted her head up. Soft lips met the Titan's forehead, on the chakra in the center of the four eyes.

"You're so beautiful..."

"As are you... and I am going to show you how much," the red-skinned girl said.

There had been fretful concerns and a--a _timidity_ that was now missing. With this newfound confidence, she took hold of the back of the hex-caster's neck and kissed her until the pink-haired girl was putty in her hands. Then it was a blazing trail of kissing and licks between the valley of those pale peaks.

The muscles of Kamala's stomach twitched as her mouth slowly meandered south, her tongue devilishly swirling around her navel. The pink-haired sorceress giggled, and then moaned when Raven descended between her legs. Hands on Kamala's knees, the demi-Demon pressed them apart, baring her lover to her completely. Memories of that impenitent close-up during the adult movie flitted through her mind...

"Um-"

Four eyes flicked up to her girlfriend's face.

"You don't have to do... _that_... if--if you're don't want to..."

Her head dipped, "Try to stop me."

* * *

By the time they finished, it was very late... or very early, depending on one's perception. However, neither could have been happier. Things had progressed quickly, but the result was far from disagreeable with the teens. There was no telling what the future held in store for them, but they would face it together.

**And that... is how you catch a raven.**

* * *

**--END CHAPTER--**

* * *

And the finale! Things got a little hot here and I tried not to be too graphic. I don't write material like that for simple stroke-material. With a plot-oriented mind like mine, I kinda find that offensive. Even so, I hope you enjoyed it, and hope you... _enjoyed_ it. Heh.

This chapter was alternately an onslaught of foreshadowing for that possible sequel and a culmination of the goals of previous chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed writing these parts because they're my personal take on how I would have done the Raven/Jinx pairing. I read a lot of fan fiction and it inspires me. Afterward, I always find myself wanting to tell my own story. And here it is. I feel all accomplished!

Now that this one's done, check out the epilogue--it will tidy up a few things I couldn't fit in this chapter (I've already exceeded 20 pages!). It also sets up things for future events. Yes, I've already got some plot points for the sequel. Will I write it? Well, that all depends on the reviews with demands for one!

-Lynx Klaw


	5. 05: Step 12 Epilogue

5

"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." -Oscar Wilde

**To Catch a Raven**

By Lynx Klaw

_Chapter 5: Step 12 (Epilogue)_

**_Step 12: So Now You Have a Raven... Now What?_**

She threaded her fingers through one of the soft, pink horns of hair. So soft. As she moved her hand to stroke her sleeping lover's neck, the girl didn't so much as stir. That alone spoke of how tired she must have been. They had made love to each other for the better part of the night. Now it was 3 AM and Kamala was almost immediately out after their last romp.

Raven was sated. In her current form, however, there was no lack of stamina. She was as rested as if she'd awoken a handful of hours ago. The demi-Demon slipped off the bed and wandered over to her closet. After rummaging around in the rarely used section of civilian clothes, she snagged a white tee shirt with a smiley face (that had a bullet hole in its head) that nearly swallowed her and came to her knees.

In a medium-sized trunk, she found some black, drawstring shorts. She didn't remember ever acquiring them, but some of these things were merely taken from previous missions as possible undercover outfits. Once washed, Raven generally threw them in the back and forgot about them. Now that she thought about it, she shouldn't be surprised to find all manner of strange clothing in here...

Deeming herself modest--or as modest as she cared to be--she left the room. The barefoot heroine padded to the common room, and then to the kitchen. There she sensed another, but ignored him in favor of making a beeline for the fridge. The raid took all of thirty seconds.

She pulled out five steaks--they _were_ Victor's of a certainty, but _hers_ now. The stove blazed to life with a vague gesture in its direction. A large, non-stick pan later, she was warming them... _Only_ warming them. The mystic Titan wanted them as close to mooing as possible.

The violet-haired teen wouldn't have done this in front of Kamala, knowing her girlfriend's religious views on the matter. However, the compulsion for meat--dripping and raw--demanded satisfaction. There was a slight impulse to abandon any form of utensil and snatch up the meat with her bare hands, feel it warm and bleeding on her fingers... but she felt no need to go _that_ far. She was not some mindless beast, after all.

"Raven...?"

"Mm?" she noised.

A plate, fork, and knife floated over to the table; the steaks followed. The pan transported itself over to the sink and Raven sank into the chair across from the teen hiding in the shadows. The only light came from the one above the coffee table in the common room--and it didn't stretch far enough to reach him.

It didn't matter, her sight--even without the lights--picked out the Boy Wonder clear as day. She didn't deign to look at him. The scent of the bloody meat held her attention. The demi-Demon immediately set into it. She could feel the eyes upon her... but he should know by now that she didn't fluster easily.

"Where's Jinx?"

A soft growl of pleasure issued as she savored the taste of the steak. All four eyes closed and a sigh only further articulated her contentment.

"_Raven_."

She swallowed her bite and smiled lightly, "My room."

"What happened?"

"She fell asleep."

"That's not what I mean," he retorted doggedly.

"I know."

Another bite, more happy growling.

Richard glared austerely in silence, but she kept on eating. His fist clenched and bit out words through gritted teeth.

"_Look_ at me, damnit! I need to know what happened, Raven." He paused, trying to moderate his temper, "I can't lead the team properly if I'm not aware of the changes in its dynamics. I have to be steadfast _and_ flexible at the same time. That's impossible if we don't work with each other."

"Kamala's not one of your Titans... you can't make demands of her. I won't let you, Richard. I have her, now. She's mine."

"Yours?" he inquired with deceptive softness.

"_Mine_," she rejoined with a hint of growl underlining her words.

She stabbed a piece of meat with her fork.

He replied slowly, as though she were a small child, "She's not an object, Raven. You can't own her like one."

Her upper-left eye ticced. Before she became too angry, however, an answer provided itself from memory--one almost lost during her heated coupling with Kamala.

"She's mine and I'm hers," she stated with finality.

Raven finished two of the steaks before he spoke up again. When he did, he sounded much less agitated than before. Whatever it was that he had worked out in that sleuthing head of his seemed to have appeased him.

"You're different," the Titans leader stated the obvious, "Is it anything to worry about?"

The violet-haired demi-Demon inspected her black claws on red fingers, "I suspect these changes are temporary... I'm not worried."

"That's what worries me. It's not just physical, it's you're mental state."

She gave him a pointed, quadruple stare, "You always suggest that I should I relax and enjoy myself. Now that I am, you want me to crawl back in my shell. ...Make up your mind."

"Damnit, Raven, quit twisting my words around!"

With an exasperated sigh, she tucked into her last remaining steak. Several bites later, she stood up and went for some coffee. She typically didn't drink it, but she was in an _adventurous_ spirit tonight. The heroine returned with a mug and brought it back. A sniff at the liquid had her sitting back from its strong scent. It wasn't unpleasant, though...

"Fine," she speared the last bite of meat--this time with a claw tip. After popping it into her mouth, she licked the claw clean, "I'll work it out tomorrow, but for now I want to enjoy it."

She stalked off with her mug, pausing at the door to take a sip of it. Raven halted and stared into the cup, raising a brow. It had an interesting taste--just about the same as it smelled. When she reverted to her standard self, she wasn't sure if she would like it any more than the blue rare steak... Still, it was something to keep in mind for times like this.

The red-skinned demi-Demon headed for her room. Already, the meat was having a sedating effect upon her. Maybe now she could curl up with Kamala and sleep until late morning. When the mystic Titan got there, she was already yawning. Raven crawled onto the bed and wrapped herself around her lover. Nuzzling Kamala's neck, she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Mine."

* * *

Noon on Sunday saw everyone finally awake. The Titans were about doing their own thing, so it had been decided that they would fend for themselves for lunch. Richard, having already eaten, was doing some routine upkeep on his computer. When a communications notification appeared, he quickly answered. There was no video feed provided, but he instantly recognized the voice.

#_Richard, has Raven picked up a social life, recently?_#

His brows rose, "Barbara, good to hear from you... Um, you could say that... Why, has something popped up on your grid?"

#_Something's popped up _everywhere_,_# she said, sending him a link--to YouTube of all places.

"What's this?"

#_Just watch. It's all over the net; youtube, myspace, forums, viral vids... you name it._#

He did. The quality wasn't exceptional, but it was more than adequate to show a floating table. Seconds later, it turned to show a full two minutes of the most seductive and erotic dancing he'd seen in... well, probably ever. The sticking point, however, was the pink-haired girl--whose face wasn't revealed--and her hot dancing partner... the one with four eyes. The Boy Wonder sat there quietly for several seconds after the video ended, just staring at the title: 'Dirty Dancing Demon.'

Its current hits since upload around midnight: over 400.

His head fell on the console, banging several times.

#_Dick... what's that sound?_#

"Our publicity's slow and agonizing demise," he replied with a pained groan.

#_There's a chance no one will recognize her outside those who know her that well. She usually has that hood, right?_#

"Jinx's got her to wear it down more often."

Before it could be discussed further, the door to the common room opened, permitting Raven. She was still in her mostly Demonic form. Richard frowned; it was supposed to have been a temporary thing. Behind her, Kamala wandered in complacently.

"I'll call you back, Barb," he said, turning to face the mystic Titan, "Raven."

* * *

The demi-Demon in question glanced his way. Today she wore her pants from last night and a black hoodie with sleeves that terminated in fingerless gloves; underneath it, she had a purple sports tank--not that he could have known. After last night's success, she had taken a closer look at the clothes that cluttered the non-uniform section of her closet. The hood was down.

Still red-skinned and black-clawed, she veered over to him and stared at him with those quadruple eyes. There was no hint of contrition in Raven's stance or expression, nothing that belied she felt ill at ease with him. She was treating the issue as though he wanted her to go grocery shopping.

This blasé attitude seemed to perturb the bird-boy...

Running his fingers through his hair, Richard looked at her with a miserable expression of exasperation, "You told me you would try to change back this morning."

She blinked at him, "...I didn't feel like it."

The teen sleuth developed a twitch under his left eye. The hex-caster hung back, watching the exchange with interest. She was in a simple black jacket over a pink tee shirt with a blue, cartoon bunny. The caption on the shirt read: 'Cute but psycho. Things even out.' Kamala's jeans were a faded blue with black hearts and lightning bolts that she drew with permanent marker several months ago.

"...I take it you're planning on going out."

"Mm," she noised in assent.

"Before you go, what do you have to say about this?" Richard asked as he played the YouTube video.

By its conclusion, Raven was grinning. "That was fun..."

* * *

Kamala went red in the face. She hadn't intended for anyone to see _that_! Where the Hell had the video come from? About to die from mortification, her only consolation was that there were no names tagged to the event, just yet. Hopefully, none would be! Raven seemed solely unconcerned, but she figured that was natural for the time being. A carefree Raven was truly something to behold.

She could tell that Robin was about as thrilled with it as she was. They couldn't do anything about it, though; so why harp on it? It was probably best just to prepare for the worst-case scenario and let the chips fall where they may.

"That's not the point, Raven. This could be damaging to our reputation--which has an impact on how official law enforcement views our activities. They accept and aid our vigilantism because it suits them. We can't afford to alienate allies and resources!"

"Even police officers take breaks from time to time, Robin. We didn't break any laws or cause any trouble... I don't see why anyone should bother with it."

The Titans leader looked fit to explode, but a chime sounded on the com that drew his attention. It was a local number and the screen automatically pulled up the city map with the location and name of the store. It was _Karasu's_, a local jewelry shop. At the mere sight of it, Kamala winced.

'_Oh, this does not bode well._'

Robin answered immediately, "Titans Tower, Robin."

#_Hello, Robin, this is Sasaki Mizuki. My husband, Katsuo, and I own the jewelry store, _Karasu's.# Her voice had a moderate, Japanese accent, but her English was impeccable and cultured. #_I have been searching for a... Kamala Malti. The police referred me to a judge, who informed me that she could be reached this number._#

"She is holding temporary residence here, yes," he said, turning around to face Kammie. He mouthed to her, '_What did you do?_'

She held her hands up, shook her head slowly, and mouthed back, '_Nothing!_'

"If you wouldn't mind waiting, I can page her," he said.

#_No, I do not mind. Please do._#

He hit the mute button and looked at her, "...It's your call, but you should probably take it. If nothing else, I'm here as the leader of the Titans and Raven is here as your probation officer."

"I don't understand! I didn't do anything! I haven't even gone near the store since my arrest!" she whined hysterically, running her hands through her hair. One of her hair bands fell out during the motion. Raven bent down to pick it up.

"We know that... so they can't cause any trouble for you--just stay calm," he placated, then switched off the mute button, "A moment more, Mrs. Sasaki; she's on her way."

#_Thank you, Robin._#

He switched the mute on once more, "If they make any accusations, we'll coach you through dealing with it. Between us, you'll be fine. ...Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath, the ex-villainess centered her mind and focused herself on the goal of handling Mrs. Sasaki. Kamala nodded and he switched the microphone back on.

"Hello, this is J--Kamala."

#_Ms. Malti,_# Mizuki said, making the pink-haired girl wince at the title, #_This is Mrs. Sasaki from _Karasu's_. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?_#

The sorceress paused, frowning. That was an odd way to start and it still left her in the dark. However, she could play ambiguously vague and beat around the bush with the best of them.

"No, but I can't guarantee I'll have the answers," Kammie replied diplomatically.

#_Do you have any knowledge of precious stones and metals--specifically jewelry?_#

Even though the call was by phone and had no video, she glared at the screen. At the moment, she could be candid... but this odd question had her raking her brain for the reason why Mrs. Sasaki would ask such a thing.

"...Probably more than I would care to admit. I know general price ranges, rarity, composition... color, cut, clarity, carat, and Millesimal fineness. I'm familiar with various classifications of precious and semi-precious gems. I don't have any experience in creating, repairing, or fitting jewelry, though.

"I'm also aware of their mystical resonance and compatibility with various spells including charming, cursing, enchantments, warding, and containment. I can use them in a variety of ways--concoctions, incantations, divinations, rune-stone magic, wards, charms, curses, and containers. I've made containers for stored magic reservoirs, small pocket-dimensions for physical storage, um... That's about it," the hex-caster said, then mentally added, '_Not including the best ways and places to fence 'em all, of course._'

Kamala knew she had rambled at the woman, but maybe if she overwhelmed the woman, she would be left alone. It helped that metals and gems were part of her magical studies and it gave her a more-than-adequate background on these sorts of things. There was a quiet moment while Mizuki assimilated everything. The response put her off even further, as her tactic seemed only to entice the elderly storeowner even more.

#_I must say your qualifications are more than I expected. Do you have any formal education or are you self-taught?_#

Robin was observing her in that dissecting way again. It was making her nervous--making her ramble more than she really wanted. She hated that unflinching, stony stare!

"It's... it's mostly," she cleared her throat, "self-taught--er--_on the job training_. It was quite thorough, though."

That was a good way to put it, she felt. Kamala admitted to nothing she wasn't required to about her illegal escapades. She hadn't even told the police the full extent of her crimes and never intended to do so. The crimes she committed and revenue she had generated over the years were no one's business but her own.

Her mention of thorough knowledge was only to dissuade the woman from trying to pull the wool over her eyes. She knew her stuff and there was no way some gem shop crone was gonna pull a fast one on her! Once again, luck was not with her; the comments kept fanning the flames, somehow.

#_Good, very good,_# the woman said.

Kamala facepalmed herself, '_Damnit, how do I shake her?_'

#_I would like to set up an interview with you. I could use someone who knows the trade to cover sales. Your presence last week has caused an influx of new customers. What I am suggesting is not some publicity stunt, however, Ms. Malti. It is an honest job and requires dedication and care._

#_There is a starting position of temporary assistance with one of my employees for a period of one month. If you do well, then you may work in the sales area as a full-time employee... This is all dependent upon the interview, of course. Are you available Monday morning?_#

"..." the pink-haired teen stood in shock for several seconds. When Kamala came out of it, she exclaimed, "Are you _serious_? ...I-I mean, _yes_--yes I am."

#_Very well, then perhaps we can hold an interview over brunch. Please meet me at _Karasu's_ at __9:15__._#

"Yes, ma'am," Kamala managed to say.

* * *

Immediately after Mizuki hung up, Kamala found herself swung around in a wide circle and then soundly kissed senseless by her girlfriend. Still reeling from the implications of the phone call, her brain decided to go on vacation. Raven growled softly with delight into Kamala's ear.

"I knew you could do it," the demi-Demon told the hex-caster, "Now, let's have a preemptive celebration of your new job with a special lunch!"

With that, the two girls sank into a pool of darkness.

"Raven, _wait_! ...Shit," Robin grumbled as she teleported away, but he was too late. Now Jinx and a Demonic Raven were wandering the streets. In light of recent events, though, maybe--just _maybe_--luck would be on their side.

* * *

**--THE END!--**

* * *

Short and sweet. This is the end of To Catch a Raven. I'm happy with where this ends because it leaves lots of things open. I fully intend to explore them, too... if only in my imagination. By now, you all know that I love sharing my imagination; so if you'd like to see what I've got in store for Jinx and Rae--not to mention the rest of the Titans, by all means let me know in your reviews!

Hm. I wonder what I'll call that sequel? Now's a good a time as any for me to start considering it. I think I'll title it "_No Laughing Matter_." In the meantime, I'll let you ponder the possible significance to and implications behind that... because I'm evil.

-Lynx Klaw


End file.
